Page 91 of Fly Back to Me
“Great,” I breathe, looking over my shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Just come through these sliding doors when you’re done.”
I hear the thud of his boots, my head spinning back to catch his smile before he disappears through the sliding door.
A cold whisper creeps up my back, an eerie silence pouring into the room like the rapid current of a stream. The kind youcan fight against at first, but then you realize just how strong it is the longer you’re in it.
I stand tentatively at the table, laying my palms over the books Cade just gifted me. My fingernails lightly graze the writing on the hardcover of the journal, and pounds of guilt suddenly stack on my soul.
I can’t waste this second chance.
Not just for my life after my attack, but the life I want with Cade.
Shame and anger choke me. Shame that I’ve captured Cade’s heart so selfishly, and anger because the damage I’ve inflicted was delivered by my own two hands. I begin to think that maybe, after all I’ve said and done to win the prize, I was just wasting every opportunity away. Every window that opened for me to tell the truth, I shut without reserve. I was waiting for this ambiguous, golden moment to appear, and now that it has, there’re no rays of light.
Just the gray clouds that promise rain.
I inhale, running a hand through my hair as my pulse staggers. Bending down, my fingers lift the hem of my baggy jeans to unlatch the silver chain. The chill from earlier deepens when I unveil my ankle, fear washing over me like a tidal wave as I pocket the jewelry.
Shedding the anklet feels like I’m stripping Cade from my life. I pray with every divot of my soul that his feelings for me are strong enough to challenge the truth he’s about to face.
I swallow thickly before rounding the table, treading over to the sliding doors. My palm curls around the handle, eyes steering left to Cade crouched beside his motorcycle. His hand fiddles with the wrench against his bike in front of the white shed, the tranquil scene of the lake beyond the grass mocking me to my core.
My eyes seal shut as I ingest a breath, my grip on the handlefastening as I dig up any scrap of bravery left inside of me.
And when I open my eyes, my hand tugs the glass door open.
Chapter 34
Cade
I turn my wrench to the left, loosening the last bolt of the fender. The whoosh of the sliding door bounces my gaze briefly, and I catch Olivia walking down the stone steps.
Even under an overcast sky, she sparkles just as bright as she always does.
“Were my directions to the bathroom sufficient?” I tease, returning my concentration to the swingarm.
“Superb,” she quips.
I flash her a smirk, pointing behind me to one of the Adirondack chairs around the fieldstone fire pit. “You can sit. Don’t feel the need to stand up.”
Her palms rest on her lower back as she looks over at the set up. “I’m okay, thank you.”
My grin stretches before I locate the adjusters, my wrench tightening and relaxing them until I perfect the chain tension.
“Did you build this?”
Olivia’s voice darts my head in her direction. Her whitesneaker is toeing a large rock around the fire pit, long blonde hair spilling halfway down her back in soft curls. “Yeah. About a year ago,” I answer.
“You’re just a jack of all trades, huh?” she coaxes, rounding the circle of rocks.
I sink my teeth in my bottom lip, redirecting my eyes to the rear wheel of my motorcycle. “I pride myself on what I can do.” My palm lays on the rubber of the tire, spinning it in the stand. “But when I do something, I’d like to think I do it well.”
When the wheel rotates smoothly, I lift myself from my bended knee, only to walk the few steps to the toolbox. I sift through it, retrieving a socket before standing and pinning her with a suggestive stare. “How’s that theory holding up for you so far?”
Olivia’s cheeks flush, her knuckles greeting her mouth just as she pivots her head away from me. If I wasn’t wearing latex gloves and picking apart my motorcycle right now, I’d wrap her legs around my waist and fuck that shyness right out of her.
I never want her to hide from me.
