Page 97 of Love and Lingerie (Rockland Falls 2)

She takes my keys and opens the door, Snuggles happily greeting me the moment I enter. Just the sight of her has me on the verge of tears. “I’ll take her out back,” Free says, leading my puppy toward the backyard.

The walls move as I stand still, praying for the darkness to swallow me whole. No, drinking definitely wasn’t my brightest idea, but it was there and I was looking for anything to quickly numb the pain. I’m not worried about Snuggles. I know Free will take care of her before she goes. All I want is to lie in bed and let the drunkenness finish me off.

As soon as I step into my bedroom, I smell him. His cologne, his aftershave, his soap. Whatever it is, it’s everywhere. The sight of my bed sends the tears I’ve been fighting tumbling down, and they don’t stop. They consume me, just like the pain.

Knowing I can’t sleep in my bed, I reach for the pillow and head to the spare room across the hall. The sheets are clean and won’t remind me of the man who shared my bed the night before. I don’t undress, I can’t. I have no strength or will to even remove my shoes. Instead, I crawl on top of the bedspread, curl my body around my pillow, and close my eyes.

He’s here.

I feel him.

I smell him.

When I open my heavy eyelids and glance around the room, I find it as empty as my heart. He’s not here. But his scent is. In my haste to get out of my bedroom, I grabbed the pillow Latham always used. The material is wet as I place my head back down and hold it tightly against me. It’s not him, but for a moment – a beautiful second in time – it makes me feel like he’s here with me.

As I fall into the darkness, I pray for the pain in my chest to subside just a little. I pray for my heart to forget all about one Latham Douglas. And most of all, I pray he’s missing me as much as I’m missing him.

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