Epilogue
One year later
“Kayla, he’s staring at your butt again.” My coworker’s declaration made my eyes go wide.
“Stop it!” I hissed at Stacey. “He is not.”
“Oh yes, honey,” she drawled, her Texas accent pronounced, “he is.”
I cranked my head to find that Stacey was right. Nate was a regular customer, and he focused on my ass now as if it looked tastier than the Gigi’s breakfast special sitting in front of him.
“How are the eggs, Nate?”
He blinked and then lowered his head. “Great as always, Kayla.”
Stacey snickered. “He’ll ask you out eventually, mark my words.”
I hoped not—it would save me the trouble of rejecting him.
I’d waitressed at Gigi’s for eight months now, and luckily most guys who pursued me quickly got the message.
Stacey and I had gotten close, but she didn’t know about my past. No one did, and that was part of the allure of starting over in a town where no one knew me.
Yet something was missing…or rather someone.
My demons had relocated with me. Both Gage and Ian stalked the shadows in my bedroom at night, and I spent too much time lying awake.
Eve’s nightmares lessened over time, but mine hadn’t.
It didn’t matter if the days were getting easier to get through—it was during those few dark hours when echoes of the past haunted me that I realized how weak I still was.
How broken.
Thankfully, I couldn’t say the same for Eve.
She was doing well, physically and emotionally, and she continued to provide the brightest part of my day.
She’d started preschool four months ago, and I’d watched her blossom since.
Ian’s phone calls also brightened my days, though lately the tone of them had changed.
I knew he missed me, and I felt the same way, though I questioned what it was about him that I missed exactly.
It was a myriad of things—the sense of security I always felt in his presence, the way his kiss set my head spinning, the fact that I trusted him with my daughter… I could fill pages upon pages.
I missed Gage for other reasons…reasons that reinforced how lonely I really was.
Once my shift ended, I said goodbye to Stacey and promised to meet her on Saturday for a movie.
She also had a child—a boy a year older than Eve.
They said they were getting married someday.
We laughed about their innocent childhood dreams, but deep inside, the idea bothered me.
Kids often said such things, but the thought of Eve ever getting married, of subjecting herself to the cruelty of a man, terrified me.
I’d grown so distrustful and paranoid that it put the term “jaded” to shame.
On my way home, I picked Eve up from daycare.
The last thing I expected was to find an unfamiliar vehicle in my driveway.
My world screeched to a halt at the sight of the man who unfolded from it.
He leaned against his door and waited as I let Eve out of her booster seat.
I hoisted her in my arms and carried her toward the door.
“Hello, Kayla.”
“Hi…” My head spun with the reality of his presence. An entire year had passed since I’d walked away from my old life, and somewhere deep inside, I’d always known he’d come for me, but I hadn’t allowed myself to dwell on that eventuality.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.” I pushed the door open. The duplex was small, but the place offered more room than our apartment had back in Oregon.
“Just let me put on a cartoon for Eve.” I got her settled in the living room with a snack, and then I ushered him into the kitchen.
He leaned against the counter and silently watched as I turned on the oven and arranged chicken breasts in a baking dish.
I kept myself busy with mindless tasks for several minutes, my heart tap dancing the whole time.
He was suddenly behind me, his hands on mine, pressing them to the counter and halting my movements. “Stop.”
I went still. It’d been so long since a man had touched me. Months, though it seemed more like years.
He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face against my neck, inhaling as if he’d thirsted for the scent of me. “I’ve missed you.” He tightened his hold. “So much.”
I closed my eyes and focused on the weight of his arms across my chest, rising and falling with every breath. “Why are you here?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Several moments passed, and I finally spoke the words I wanted to say. “I’ve missed you too.” I ran a finger along his forearm. “But—”
“Don’t shut me out, Kayla.”
Shutting him out was impossible. Always had been.
“Can you get a sitter for tonight?” he asked.
I nodded without thinking. Stacey would look after her, but why would I need a sitter? I voiced the question.
“Because I’m going to show you how much I’ve missed you.” He reached into my purse and dug for a few moments until he produced my cell. He held it out. “Get a sitter.”
My fingers curled around the phone, hesitating. I could send him away. He’d go—I knew he would. And I would go about my life in peace. In peace and alone, always keeping everyone outside the bubble I’d built, unable to let anyone in.
And I would never feel this way again.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the phone and dialed.