Page 91 of Her Reluctant Hero
“God, Alex, that’s in seven hours. I won’t be able to move in seven hours.” She tucked her other arm through his and snuggled closer.
“Can’t carry both of you,” he said, smiling down at her.
“Won’t sleep,” she promised drowsily.
The warmth of her, the weight of the boy, all of it felt right. Everything he’d wanted with Rebecca. A family. If he’d been willing to risk his heart for Rebecca, why couldn’t he do it for Isabella? She was stronger, she was in love with him, she didn’t back away, even knowing what she did about him, something he would have always had to hide from Rebecca.
He could hurt her. He hadn’t worried about that so much with Rebecca, he’d been so concerned with taking care of her. But with Isabella, it would be worse.
No. He was walking away in the morning. For good.
They reached the stop at the hotel, and he stood, helped Isabella to her feet. A woman across the aisle, older, maybe the age of his foster mom, reached out to him.
“You have a lovely family,” she murmured.
He smiled tightly despite the pinch in his chest, nodded, and walked off.
“Bella. I’m going.” Alex crouched by her bed and stroked her hair back from her face, studied her beauty in the dim light of the bedside lamp. He’d resisted crawling into bed with her the past two nights, not to make love to her, but just to hold her, feel her warmth, her trust, even as she slept.
And now he was walking away.
She blinked awake and rolled toward him. “Already? Alex.” She reached out to touch his shirt, frowned when she encountered his camouflage shirt.
“I’m sorry.” About so much.
Her eyes sharpened. She understood. Still, she asked, “When will we see you again?”
“You don’t need me anymore, Bella.”
“But I want you.”
He didn’t answer that, couldn’t, just let the soft words roll through him. Instead, he pushed back from the bed, not rising yet. “Take care of yourself and the little guy. The room is paid for another night, and there’s some cash—”
“We’ll be fine. We’re—going home after this. Let Hector meet his grandparents.”
“Good. That’s good.” He glanced at the clock. He should have left fifteen minutes ago, but he was dragging, and he knew the reason why.
She took his hand. “Be careful, Alex.”
“I will.”
“Thank you.”
He rose then and smirked. “You’re welcome.”
She sat as he made his way across the room to the door, following his progress with her eyes. He needed to turn away. He couldn’t do this, say goodbye.
“I love you,” she said again when he opened the door.
He took a deep breath before he could take the last step out. “Goodbye, Bella.”
You can go home again. Isabella drove her rental car around the mountains, through El Paso, over the state line and into Las Cruces. In the backseat, secure in his child seat, Hector alternately flipped through his books and looked at the scenery.
Las Cruces was a beautiful little town at the foot of the Organ Mountains on the New Mexico side, and she caught her breath to see the place for the first time in six years.
Just like she’d caught her breath to hear her mama’s voice when she’d called from Orlando.
Was it okay if she came home for a little while? Did they want to meet their grandson?
