Chapter 49
Real Love something deep in my chest felt entirely off, like the air in the room was too heavy to breathe.
Clo was tossing and turning violently beside me, breaking out into a cold sweat as he suffered through a heavy nightmare.
His eyes were squeezed shut, and I heard him mutter under his breath.
“Gina... I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice cracking. He paused, his breathing hitching. “I couldn’t find you.”
He went quiet again for a second before his face crumpled. “I did love you... but I love her now.”
Hearing those words broke something in me, but instead of getting mad, a wave of deep empathy washed over me. I sat straight up in the bed, slid right over to him, and pulled his broad shoulders tight against my chest, holding him close like an anchor.
He jolted awake with a sharp gasp, blinking hard against the dark. The second he realized it was me, he wrapped his heavy arms around my waist, burying his face in my chest. Hot tears streamed down his face, soaking right through my shirt—something I had never seen from him before.
“I love you, baby. We’re gonna have a big family. I’m gonna give you a whole lot of babies. May God rest her soul,” I said, my voice completely genuine and steady.
I already knew Clo was still quietly grieving his late ex, Gina, and I also knew without a single doubt that he loved me fiercely. I wasn't about to let a ghost threaten what we were building; I was going to stand by my man and support him through whatever heavy pain he was carrying.
“Tammy... I’m so sorry,” he choked out, his voice thick with guilt.
“For what?” I asked softly, running my fingers through his damp waves.
“For letting them sit in our section tonight. For letting all this bullshit happen.”
“It’s okay, baby,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Come on, let’s get some rest.”
I held him tight in my arms until his breathing evened out, and we finally drifted off to sleep together.