40. 40
40
B onnie packed the last of her things into her bags and took one last look around Corey’s bedroom. She thought she had everything. Even if she hadn’t, she reminded herself, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. She wasn’t leaving forever. She was just going home.
Still, she couldn’t stop the ache in her chest as she picked up her bags and carried them out into the living room, then out to Corey’s pickup.
He didn’t want her to go, but had agreed to come back after his morning chores and take her back to town. She’d called Randy on his cell phone last night on their way home from the emergency room, and he’d told her to take a couple of days to recover, then come back when she was ready. He said he’d given his statement already and had no idea what she had to be going through. He’d insisted he wanted her to take all the time she needed to get back to work. Bonnie couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he’d felt guilty that she’d been taken while still on the property.
Bonnie smiled as she remembered the way Corey had tried to convince her to go in and give her statement today. He’d insisted it could wait, but Bonnie had been determined. She wanted to get it out of the way. She also didn’t want there to be any reason for the police or a judge or whoever might let him go.
Now between the time off Randy had given her and her scheduled days off, she had time to get settled back into her apartment, and hopefully find something in the way of transportation, before she had to go back to work in a few days. She should also call the Harley shop owner. She wasn’t due to start painting for a few weeks, and hopefully her hand would be back to normal by then, but she felt like she needed to be up front with him, just in case.
After loading her bags, she went back inside, taking the time to double check for anything she might have left behind and cleaning up around the place, wanting to leave Corey’s home nice and clean for him.
He didn’t expect it, but it would be a nice thank you for him opening his home to her. Not to mention, it kept her busy while she waited for him to come back to the cabin and take her into town. She wasn’t looking forward to leaving his place, but she was determined to give him the space he’d wanted, but hadn’t yet had the opportunity to enjoy.
It was later than she’d thought, and nearly 10:00 A.M. when Corey returned. He came in the front door, closed it behind him, then leaned against it for a moment, watching her.
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay?” he said after she’d turned to watch him.
“I’m sure.” Bonnie closed the distance between them. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I do. But I need this. I need to reclaim my life, if only for my own peace of mind. You need this too. You need to have some space of your own, without someone in it all the time. It will help settle your mind.” She stretched up and kissed the hollow below his bottom lip. “But this isn’t goodbye, it’s just me going back to my life. I still want to see you. I still want to explore whatever this is between us.”
Corey’s arms wrapped around her waist, holding her snug against him as he closed his eyes. He held her a moment, before lowering his head until his cheek rested on top of her head.
“All right. I’ll take you. I don’t like it, but I won’t stand in the way of you reclaiming your life and your independence. You all loaded up or you want me to carry something out?” He didn’t loosen his hold, but continued to hold her while he waited for her answer, as if he was going to take in every moment between them he could.
“I’ve got everything loaded but my purse. I’ll grab that then we can go.” She let her head rest against his chest, inhaling his scent and letting it surround her. She would miss this, she knew, but she refused to let that stop her from what had to be done. And the longer she waited to reclaim her independence, the harder it would be.
Corey took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “I guess we’d better go then.” He slowly released her, as if reluctant to let the moment end. Once he lifted his head, she tilted hers back and looked up at him.
“Thirty minutes, and in town, isn’t the other side of the planet. It’s not even something you wouldn’t drive every day if you didn’t live here on the ranch. We can do this, if you want to.” Her chest ached at the thought that he might not want to continue whatever was between them if she wasn’t here in his house, but she didn’t let it show.
If a thirty-minute drive was enough to break what they had, it wouldn’t have stood the test of time anyway and it was better to know that now rather than once she was more invested.
No, this was the best thing, and not just for one reason. She took a deep breath herself, then turned away and went for her purse.
“I don’t want you to go, but I won’t let what we have go either.”
Corey’s words followed her down the short hall, lifting her spirits. But would it last?