50. Winnie
“You ready?”
I glance in my brother’s direction from the front of the hotel and shake my head. “No, but I miss him.”
He cups my shoulders and offers me a forced smile. I think it’s meant to be comforting. “I’m ready to stop being your relationship counselor, so let’s go.”
The desk lady was not willing to give me Reese’s hotel number, but after approximately three minutes of Elijah turning on his charm, she sang like a canary.
“It’s gross how easily she gave in to you. She would have sent me on my way without a second thought.”
He flashes me a smirk, much the same as the one he gave her, and I crinkle my nose.
“You’d be surprised what I can make women do with just a look, sis.”
“Surprised and utterly disgusted, now knock it off.”
He slams a fist into the elevator button, and when it dings, we step in. Nerves crowd my entire body like a weighted blanket.
“You’re thinking too much, Win. Reese is going to be happy to see you.”
I dip my chin; I know he’s right. Mostly. There’s a small part of me that worries about the memories seeing me will bring up. If it’ll be too much for him. He’s avoided me, and I can’t blame him, but I hope he is as ready to see me as I am him. Or he could turn me away. Say it’s too much, and he can’t get past the grief. If so, I couldn’t even be upset, but I can’t afford to lose Reese too.
“What if it’s too much?”
He wraps an arm around my shoulders and presses a kiss to my temple. “Then I’ll break his kneecaps.”
Somehow, I believe him.
The elevator doors slide open, and my stomach drops. My feet are heavy, and it’s hard to take a step, but there is a young dad with a toddler waiting to get on, and I know he wouldn’t appreciate me just standing here while his son cries for food. I don’t look at the toddler as I step by them, and when the doors shut, I suck in a much-needed breath. Elijah eyes me cautiously, but I do my best not to let anything I’m feeling show.
Eventually, I glance around at the numbers and head in the direction of Reese’s. My lungs are begging to suck in a breath only he can provide. It’s like only when we are together do I fully get to breathe.
As I round the corner, I pause for a moment, recognizing the two girls walking in the same direction as me.
Emma’s eyes pop open, and she takes off in my direction. Laney is right behind her. The three of us come together in a warm embrace, and even when I’m ready to let go, they hold on. I didn’t realize how much I missed their faces until just now. Emotion crowds my throat, and tears burn my eyes.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here,” Emma cheers while pulling away and wiping her face. Her voice is low since it’s only eight in the morning, not wanting to wake the people around us. Most likely grumpy Timberwolves.
“Me either.” I laugh awkwardly while patting my eyes of any unshed tears.
Laney’s lip wobbles, but she doesn’t say anything, and she doesn’t need to. They both have been checking on me regularly through texts, so I know everything they want to say but can’t.
For so long, I wanted friends, and it’s incredible to finally have them with these two girls.
“Are you here for Reese?” Emma asks.
I nod and swallow the lump in my throat.
“We are just coming to wake the boys for breakfast. I assume Reese will be too busy eating something else, though.” Emma nudges me but giggles when Elijah huffs a breath.
I flick a look at my brother, who is making it a point to not return it.
“Just knock on the fucking door,” he grumbles, and I grin at my friends.
They all take a step back, leaving me in front to be the one to knock. The door isn’t abnormal, but it feels like I’m getting ready to go to battle with how my heart is beating. I want to prep my heart for heartbreak. But I can’t when I’m just too excited to finally be in Reese’s arms again.
Sighing, I raise my fist with the intent to knock, but the door swings open instead.
Sawyer stands on the other side, eyeing me, then my fist, and lifting an eyebrow. “You going to use that on me, Snaps?”
“Depends, is it deserved?”
He smirks before throwing his arms around me and squeezing tighter than anyone has been willing to squeeze me in weeks.
“We’ve missed you.”
I don’t miss the emphasis on we’ve, and my heart flutters. Maybe Reese will be excited to see me after all.
Sawyer’s body is warm, and he looks like he just rolled out of bed. His blond hair is a mess, and sleep still coats his eyes. He squeezes me another time, then pulls away, but he keeps his hands on my shoulders.
“You look good, Win.”
Someone behind me clears their throat, but I don’t have to look to know it was my brother.
Sawyer flicks a look up, and his face hardens. “Elijah.”
“Sawyer,” he replies, then sighs a beat later. “I suppose this is when I apologize for punching you in the face when I thought you slept with Winnie.”
Sawyer’s hands fall from my shoulders, and he crosses them over his broad chest. He leans against the doorframe and cocks an eyebrow at me. Heat burns up my neck, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Sorry about that, by the way.”
“By the way,” he mutters, mocking me. “Probably.” He glances at Elijah. “But we both know you won’t.”
“You’re right,” Elijah deadpans. “I’ll offer to buy you breakfast, though.”
Sawyer flattens his lips. “You’re going to offer to buy me a free continental breakfast that is included with the room? How kind.”
“I said offer.”
They might be bickering, and Elijah might have given him a black eye, but I can see a friendship growing between the two assholes. Deep, deep down. Okay, maybe not friendship, but something close, anyhow.
“Fuck it. Let’s go,” Sawyers says, and steps out of the room. His arm snaps out, and he stops the door from closing, then lowers his eyes to me. They soften, and it surprises me to see how genuine Sawyer is being when we are usually butting heads.
“Go get your man, Snaps. And convince him to shower, because he fucking stinks.”
“I will.” My voice is soft, and I turn for the dark room.
“Call if you need me to break his kneecaps,” Elijah says as he steps away.
Sawyer scowls at him but says nothing, and they disappear down the hall we just came from.
My heart is in my throat as I take the first step into the dark room. It’s so dark that when the door closes, it’s completely black inside, thanks to the blackout curtains.
Slowly, I maneuver forward with my hands out in front of me and my feet sliding against the carpet. I come up to a wall and flip the first switch I find. It turns on the bathroom lights, which brightens the rest of the room enough for me to see Reese lying in the bed closest to the window.
He groans and throws an arm over his scruffy face.
“Turn the fucking light off,” he snaps.
Despite his sour tone, I smile. My chest warms and my hands itch to touch him.
“Sorry, I couldn’t see where I was going.”
He stiffens but doesn’t look my way. “Win?” His voice sounds so broken that a shiver racks down my spine.
“It’s me.” A sob rips from my throat, and I throw a hand over my mouth to hopefully silence it. Crying wasn’t the first thing I wanted to do when I saw him, but the emotions are too much for me to handle. It’s overwhelming seeing him, even more so when he slowly and sloppily pushes onto his elbows and his tired eyes meet mine.
His jaw locks, but it doesn’t stop his chest from caving and another sob from ripping through me.
“Please don’t cry,” he begs in a heartbreaking voice.
“I’ve j-just m-missed you.”
His face pinches, and his eyes shoot to the window. “I’ve missed you too.”
Unsure what I should do, I wrap my arms around myself but stay where I am. He doesn’t seem happy—or unhappy—to see me, and I really don’t know how to take this Reese. I can feel that he wants to cry; it’s all over his face, and it’s my fault.
I take a step back, ready to run from the room, but his eyes slice over to me and lock me in place.
I drop my face and stare at the ugly carpet under my shoes. “I don’t know why I came.”
“I do.” The bed creaks as he moves to stand. He wobbles in my peripheral vision, but I keep my eyes on the ground, allowing the tears that broke free to drop freely below. The closer he gets, the tougher it is to breathe, and when he’s standing in front of me, an arm’s length away, I stop breathing altogether. “You’re here because I’m fucking weak and couldn’t come to you.”
“You’re not weak.”
My body explodes when Reese touches my chin. A single finger lifts it so we are eye to eye once again. Seeing his red-rimmed eyes so close has the ache in my chest growing stronger, forcing my already uneasy breaths to skip.
“I am. And I’m so fucking sorry, baby.”