Page 55 of By Your Side
When I turned the deadbolt on the front door, he was already waiting with my coat. He held it open, and when I slid my arms in, his hands skimmed down my sleeves before settling at my waist.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked, voice low enough to make the air between us feel heavier.
“Yeah,” I said, meeting his eyes. “I’m sure.”
He studied me for a beat, like he was checking for cracks in my answer, then nodded. “Good. Then let’s get you home.”
He bent to press a soft kiss to my forehead before letting me go, a silent reassurance that lingered even after he stepped back. There was a comfort in those little gestures, a gentleness that never asked for more than I was willing to give. For a moment, I let myself lean into it, let myself believe this could be easy, that being wanted didn't always have to come with strings or shadows.
The night air wrapped around us as we stepped outside, the cool crispness of it a shock after the warmth of the tavern. The neon sign buzzed softly above, casting us both in violet light.
Hunter locked up behind me, his keys jingling as he pocketed them. He didn’t move toward his truck right away, but he fell into step beside me as we crossed the gravel lot to my car.
“You’re going to let me follow you home,” he stated.
I gave him a look. “You think I can’t make it a mile and a half without you behind me?”
“I think,” he said, leaning one arm on my open door, “that I’ll sleep better if I know you made it there without Eli lurking around or your radiator exploding.”
My lips curved despite myself. “Fine. But only because you said, ‘sleep better’ and not ‘keep you safe.’ I can take care of myself. I only want you foryou, not your protection.”
His grin was quick and a little wicked. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
I slid into the driver’s seat, my heart doing that strange, dangerous thing again. The thing that felt like hope. And as I pulled out, his headlights came on right behind me, steady in my rearview all the way down Sycamore Street.
Chapter 16
Hunter
Ididn’t sleep much.
Not because I was restless in a bad way—hell no. I’d been replaying last night on a loop until the sky outside my window started going pale.
Paige.
On the pool table.
In my arms.
Looking at me like she’d finally decided to stop running from whatever this was.
I’d gone home after following her back, making sure her porch light came on and that she made it inside. She’d glanced over her shoulder before shutting the door—one last look—like she was trying to say something without saying it.
I’d wanted to knock again. To ask her to let me in, not just into the house, but into the rest of her night, her morning, her body, her life. But I’d told myself to give her space.
She’d been through enough people crowding her, needing something from her. She didn’t need me doing it, too.
But the truth was, I wasn’t sure what “ready” even meant anymore. My chest was still tight with everything unspoken, everything hanging in the air after last night. I’d spent so long keeping my distance, telling myself I was protecting her. Now, the line between what I wanted and what I thought was best was blurring fast, and it scared the hell out of me.
I’d woken up with the smell of her shampoo in my head and the imagined feel of her hands clutching my shoulders like she was afraid I’d disappear.
I pulled on a T-shirt and jeans, made coffee, and tried to focus on something practical. But the thing about mornings in Honeybrook Hollow was, you couldn’t avoid someone wanting to tell you the news of the day—especially when the news was about you.
By the time I stopped at the Pennywhistle Pantry for a breakfast sandwich, two different people had given me that grin—the one people use when they know something they shouldn’t. And by the time I paid my tab, Nancy behind the counter was smirking like she was ready to start selling tickets to our next parking lot kiss.
I took my food to go.
The worst part wasn’t the gossip—it was knowing that when it reached Eli, he’d find a way to twist it into ammo for the custody fight. He’d use anything. And even though Paige had the truth and a good lawyer on her side, that didn’t mean the fight wouldn’t gut her and the kids.
