Page 98 of Resisting You
My heart beat fast and uneven, pressing against my ribs like it wanted to reach the lobby before I did. Like it wasn’t sure whether to brace for hope or heartbreak.
What if he left me his wedding ring?
My stomach turned at the thought. Maybe he’d left it at the front desk like a symbol. A period at the end of our sentence. Final. Clean. Kind, even—Noah would make heartbreak look like grace. He would want to let me down softly.
I stared down at my own left hand. At my own ring glittering in the low light of the elevator, way too beautiful and elegant for something bought drunkenly at three in the morning in Atlantic City. Slim, simple, elegant. His choice. Not flashy, not cheap. Just right. Even drunk, Noah had good taste.
I'd almost taken it off last night. I’d touched it a dozen times, twisting it like a loose tooth. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
And now… I was afraid he had.
The elevator dropped floor by floor, each ding echoing in my chest like a countdown. I swore I could hear my pulse in my ears.
What did he leave me? A letter? A goodbye gift? A key to the storage unit where we buried everything good too soon?
The doors opened to the lobby and I stepped out, the room spinning just slightly as I made my way toward the desk.
A woman in a navy blazer glanced up with a warm smile. “Dr. Tripp?”
I nodded, words stuck somewhere between my lungs and throat.
She opened her mouth to say something else.
And that’s when I heard it.
A bark.
Familiar. Sharp. Full of personality and just the right amount of sass.
I turned, hope blooming too fast in my chest, and there he was—Birdie.
Sitting like a show dog in the middle of the lobby, wearing a navy blue bow around his neck and wagging his tail so hard his whole body wiggled. He looked extremely proud of himself, like he had come up with this plan himself as he limped over to me, his leg still in his little cast.
And around his neck, tied with a little ribbon, was a note. I knelt down, fingers fumbling with the twine as Birdie licked my cheek, his entire body vibrating with delight.
The note was short. Written in Noah’s handwriting.
Meet me at the lake.
My hand flew to my mouth, but it wasn’t just surprise that caught me behind the breastbone—it was relief. Sharp and sudden and overwhelming.
Hewasn’tdone with me.
I hadn’t ruined everything. I hadn’t waited too long. I hadn’t lost him.
Tears sprang to my eyes before I could stop them, blurring the edges of the note in my hand. My chest felt like it had cracked open and was being filled with light and air and something dangerously close to joy.
Because this wasn’t a goodbye.
This was a breadcrumb.
A trail.
Achance.
Birdie barked, as if to say,Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go!
I grabbed Birdie’s leash, giving him a soft kiss between his ears before picking him up off the floor. “I hear ya, little guy. Let’s go find Noah.”
