Page 41 of No Way Home
“Hey.” I walked over, leaving ten feet between us. Really, I wanted to pull him into a tight hug and caress the embarrassment away.
“Are you ready to run?” he asked, like some kind of monotone robot, devoid of any emotion.
Which normally would’ve hurt since I’d just seen him so excited for Sophie. But now that I knew what I knew, I wouldn’t take it personally.
“I will be.” I grabbed my foot, pulling it behind me, stretching my left quad.
“All right,” Sophie said, a gleam in her eyes as she gripped the second ring, skipping the first altogether.
Bowen moved closer, fingers drilling against his legs. He tracked her every movement, ready to catch her if need be. Bowen was a protector. Of people and hearts. That’s what I was learning.
The only hearts he hadn’t been able to protect until now were his and mine. It was clear it had been eating him up inside. But today, I was going to unlock his cage and set him free.
“Here I go!” Sophie dropped off the edge of the tires, swinging back and forth, arms alternating in a perfect rhythm.
Bowen moved with her. “Keep going, keep going. You’ve got this.”
Silas and Lemon jogged up. They watched her proudly.
When she reached for the last ring, her fingers slipped, but Bowen was there to catch her. She landed in his arms perfectly.
“Dang it,” she huffed as he set her on her feet.
“You were so close,” Silas said.
“She already got it twice,” Bowen said proudly.
Lemon wrapped her in a hug. “Great job, sweetie.”
“I wanna go again.” Sophie headed for the rings.
Bowen caught her arm. “I think your hands are tired. Why don’t you run your laps and try again when you’re done?”
“Good plan.” Silas tipped his head to the trail. “You ready?” he asked Sophie. Silas and Sophie were race partners. Normally, Lemon would’ve been training with Griff but he wasn’t back from work yet.
Sophie’s shoulders dropped. “Okay. But I’m nailing those rings when I’m done.”
“Yeah, you are.” Bowen held up his hands for a double high five, which she happily gave him.
Then she took off at an easy jog with her parents.
“It’s so fun, Dad,” she said as they headed further into the woods. “Once you get it.”
Like Silas, Bowen tipped his head, inviting me to follow. “You coming?”
“In a minute.” I folded my arms, feet rooted to the ground. “I need to talk to you first. About yesterday.”
He folded his arms, expression guarded. “Okay?”
The rush of blood in my ears was deafening—my heart racing like it was trying to outrun something. This conversation probably. But it had to happen.
I licked my lips and forced myself to look him in the eye. “I talked to Griffin last night.” Confronted him really.
“Did you tell him?” Every muscle in Bowen’s chest, neck, and shoulders flexed like he would sprint home at the speed of light, pack his bags, and leave the country if need be.
“No. I told you I wouldn’t.”
He exhaled.
