Chapter Twenty-Nine #2
Sifis wriggled against him ecstatically, letting out delighted little yips as Blane cradled him against his chest. “What’d they do to you, little man?”
Bea had to clear her throat. “Apparently, the new big dog they brought in tried to claim Sifis’s corner of the yard, and Sifis wasn’t prepared to give it up.” Her heart melted as she watched Blane’s huge hand stroke over the little dog’s head.
“Gotta pick your battles, little guy.”
Sifis’s eyes drifted closed, and Bea could have sworn there was a smile on his face as he leaned his weight against Blane.
“Let’s move this heartwarming reunion inside, shall we? You two go and sit down. I’ll bring his things in.”
“You take him in. I’ll get it.”
“No, don’t be silly. Look how pleased he is to see you again. I can do it.”
“I know you can. But he’s pleased to see you too, and he didn’t get the chance before I butted in.”
Blane handed Sifis to her, and Bea’s heart melted all over again when the little dog did the same ecstatic wriggling against her chest. “I must have grown on you over these last few weeks,” she murmured as she carried him inside.
It wasn’t long before Sifis had made himself completely at home. Blane set up his bed in the corner with far too many blankets and toys, and his food and water bowls sat on a mat in the kitchen as though they’d always been there. And every time Blane moved, the little dog trotted after him.
“I knew he was heartbroken when you walked away from him that first time.” The thought hit her before she could stop it, and she drew in a sharp breath. It was silly. She knew it was silly, and she should let it go.
Of course, Blane noticed and gave her a puzzled frown. “What’s up, darlin’?”
“Nothing.” She smiled too quickly. “Nothing. I was thinking I could make us moussaka this afternoon.”
He cocked one eyebrow. “See, now I don’t know if you’re using moussaka to distract me from whatever’s going on with you or trying to tempt me into bed.”
She laughed at the memory of the last time they’d made moussaka together. “You know I’m always eager to tempt you into bed, darling.”
“And you know I’m always eager to go with you. But don’t shut me out, Bea. What were you thinking just then? What made you sad?”
She looked down at Sifis, who had come to sit beside her feet and was leaning his weight against her leg.
“Oh, it was nothing.”
“Bea.”
She sighed.
“Tell me.”
“Oh, all right. But it really was only a thought. It doesn’t mean anything. I’m only telling you because you caught me thinking it and apparently my face betrayed me.”
“Just say it, Bea.”
“It was when I mentioned how sad Sifis was when you walked away from him. I remember it so clearly. I walked back toward the car thinking you were beside me, and then realized you weren’t because you’d stopped…” She closed her eyes briefly. “You’d turned around to look back and say goodbye to him.”
“Yeah.” Blane was still frowning.
She let out a breath. “It simply reminded me. That’s all.”
“Reminded you of what?”
“Of the day I dropped you off at the airport. I…”
He came to squat in front of her and rested one hand on her knee. “Don’t, Bea. I know what you’re going to say, and I can explain.”
“You don’t need to explain. There’s nothing—”
“Hear me out?”
“Oh, all right, then.”
“You think the day I left, I never looked back.”
She dropped her gaze and nodded. “And I know it’s silly. It’s petty, really, and it doesn’t—”
“It does.”
She looked at him.
“It matters. It mattered to you then, and it matters to me that you thought that.” He rubbed his hand over her knee. “I didn’t look back because I didn’t need to.”
She inhaled sharply.
“Shit. That sounded wrong, but you know I don't mean it like that. I didn't need to look back because there was a line of mirrored panels inside the terminal—I could see you the whole way.”
Her breath caught. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” He held her gaze. “I watched you until I couldn’t see you anymore.”
Something deep inside her seemed to soften. “Well.”
His mouth twitched, but he didn’t look away. “I didn’t turn around because if I had, I wasn’t sure I’d keep walking. And I wasn’t gonna turn around and ask you to wait for me while I figured out what the hell I was doing.”
She stared at him.
“I couldn’t do that to you, Bea. I didn’t know what I could give you yet. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wasn’t gonna ask you to put your life on hold while I worked it out.”
Her hand came up to cover his where it rested on her knee. “I really thought you simply walked away.”
“I know.”
“And all that time…”
“All that time I was watching you.”
She swallowed hard. “Well, that’s rather ruined six weeks of perfectly good self-pity.”
He huffed out a laugh and rose to his feet, pulling her with him. “Good.”
She slid her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest. For a while, neither of them said anything.
Then Blane looked toward the courtyard. “You know what this place still needs?”
She leaned back far enough to look up at him. “Oh no.”
His eyebrows lifted. “What?”
“I remember that tone.”
“What tone?”
“The one that resulted in you deciding my perfectly lovely courtyard was deficient because it didn’t have a swimming pool.”