Page 125 of Make Me Trust Again
You’ll fail him, too.
I shove the voice into the box hidden at the back of my mind. Not tonight. Not in this moment.
“He really is big.”
“I know! And I thought Shadow was big and scary. But he could eat me. Shadow would never eat me.”
A strangled sound escapes me. Shadow comes to the couch, demanding to join us.
“I’m not so sure about that.” I ruffle his hair gently. “She might be tempted.”
Kyle giggles. “She wouldn’t!”
“What else did you see at the zoo?”
I don’t need to ask twice. Kyle leans against my chest and starts scrolling through the pictures, showing me a photo of every animal he saw, of which there were many, his chatter filling the silence. At some point, Shadow gives up and lays down in front of us with a huff.
Once he’s gone through all the photos, Kyle sits upright and turns toward Rose.“Mom, is dinner ready? I’m starving!”
Rose bites the inside of her cheek, trying to hold back her laughter.“Where was that hunger five minutes ago?”
“I had to tell Chase about the animals!”
Chuckling, she shakes her head.“I actually think it might be almost done. I’ll go in and check. Why don’t you put that away and wash your hands?”
“Okay. Let’s go, Shadow.”
Kyle gets to his feet and goes into the house, Shadow following behind him.
“This kid.” Rose shakes her head as she gets up, her attention shifting to me. Now that we’re alone, the silence seems almost deafening. She grazes her teeth over her lower lip, a slight flush filling her cheeks. “Why don’t you stay for dinner?” she asks tentatively, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I made lasagna. It tastes way better warm than cold.”
The hopeful look on her face makes my stomach sink.
“I—” The words are on the tip of my tongue. Rejection. She sees it, too. Her smile slips, although she quickly forces it back. But that light in her eyes is gone, and it kills something inside me. I’m the one who put that expression there, and I hate myself for it.
“It’s fine. I get it.” She starts to walk around me, her head is bent, words coming out muffled. “—should… go?—”
I extend my hand, my fingers wrapping around her wrist and tugging her back. Her eyes widen in surprise at the movement as her body collides with mine. “Don’t do that. Don’t turn your back on me and tune me out.”
I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit that I can’t read her face. Her lips.
The understanding dawns on her, and she gives me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Chase. I—” She shakes her head. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. I understand.”
And she does because that’s just the kind of woman Rose Hathaway is. Kind. Understanding. Forgiving. The kind that never asks for anything, not for herself.
One step at a time
Didn’t we say that the other day?
One step at a time.
Inhaling deeply, I will my galloping heart to calm. “I’d love to stay.”
The seconds tick by as she just stares at me, and it feels like it’s forever before her expression softens, the corners of her mouth curling.
“Okay.”
That little smile shouldn’t be such a sucker punch to the gut, and yet it is. It’s unabashed and pure. Like a ray of sunshine shining through the dark clouds, and the moment I see it, I want to get more of it.
