Every Breath (14 page)

“Of course, it’s me, Baby Girl. Who else would it be?” He opens his arms to me. “Come here.”

I scoot as close to him as I can and fall into his waiting arms. It’s different than I remember, but it’s like finally being home again. “I’ve missed you so much. I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

“Baby, you haven’t even tried. Not really.”

“I have!”

He rests his chin on top of my head while his fingers brush through my hair. “No, you stopped living the same day I did, Makenna. You worry more about betraying me than you do about finding a way to live again. There is a life out there, just waiting for you to join it. You’re betraying me by not moving on, thriving, being happy. I miss seeing you smile.”

“Everything I ever wanted was taken away from me. There’s nothing left for me to smile about.”

He sighs. “This has to stop, Makenna. I’m not coming back, and if I can’t live, I need you to. For me. Don’t feed me anymore lines. It’s time. Time for you to open your mind to new possibilities and open your heart to someone who will love you as much as I do. You deserve that.”

I swipe at the salty tears that have streaked down between my lips. “I don’t know if I can ever feel for someone the same as I do you. No one can take your place.”

“Baby Girl,” he says, pushing me back upright to look in my eyes, “if you’d just open your heart, like I said, you’ll see that someone already has. He’s there waiting. Just let him in.”

He looks out the window over my shoulder and nods, compelling me to turn around. I can see two headlights of a vehicle parked on the shoulder, but when I squint to see if someone is inside it, a dark silhouette moves into the wide beams of light.

And I know at that moment, he’s patiently waiting . . . for me.

“Makenna, wake up, sweetheart.” Drew nudges me from my deep slumber. “I’m leaving for work.”

I sit up in the bed so quickly that I feel lightheaded. I just almost forgot where I am. “It will take me a few minutes to get ready. What time is it? Do I have 15 minutes?”

He chuckles. “You’re
not
going to work today, babe. You’re seriously sleep deprived, and you had a rough day yesterday. I called Burris and told him the situation and asked if he’d find you a substitute for the day.”

“Drew, this is the last week before Christmas break. My class has a lot planned this week, so I really need to be there.”

“Nope,” he gently nudges me back down onto the pillow. “It’s already done. Get some rest today, and you still have three days to catch up.”

I put on my best pouty face, but I know deep down I’m relieved. I want to go back to sleep and not wake up for a few days. “But what about you? You were up late last night, too.”

A slow, easy grin spreads his lips slightly. “I’ll be just fine. I know yesterday totally sucked, but what happened right before we went to bed will have me keyed up for days.”

The kiss. Damn it, I almost forgot about that.

And I’m going to avoid that subject for now. “So, I’m going to be stuck here all day? What if the police station needs me to come down there?”

“Relax,” Drew says, tucking the blankets back around me. “I drove to the school when I woke up and brought your car back here. One of the other coaches should be here any minute to pick me up. Everything has been taken care of, I promise. There’s even a full pot of coffee already made, and I stopped at the store for your favorite creamer. You just rest and try not to worry about everything. If you need anything at all, just call my cell. My day will be flexible enough that I can make a quick trip home any time.”

I guess he’s already thought of everything. I’m an overly independent kind of person, so I don’t know how I feel about him doing all of this. “Oh, well, thanks.” At least that’s what I attempt to say in the middle of an obscenely long yawn.

He smooths my messy hair and rubs his slightly calloused fingertips across my forehead. “Just knowing I’m leaving you here in my bed will make my day a great one. The vision of your hair tossed around my pillow will be permanently engrained in my brain. There’s something incredibly sexy about that.”

“Mmm hmm.” I only halfway hear what he’s saying. The gentle stroking across my forehead is making me so sleepy.

“Sleep, baby. I’ll call you later.”

Six hours later—yes, I said SIX—I finally wake up, and only because I get a text from Drew.

Drew: ‘Thinking of u. Hope ur resting well. Won’t b home until 6.’

Me: ‘I am. Just woke up, actually. See u then.”

I sit up in the bed and look around the room. This. Is. Weird. I wasn’t coherent enough to notice it when Drew woke me up earlier, but waking up in this room is quite disorienting. It’s like when you’re on vacation and staying in a beautiful hotel room, and you wake up having forgotten where you are for a moment.

It’s nice, but it’s not home. I’m used to my pillow and the way my mattress remembers all too well where I sleep on it. I’m used to the sun streaming through the crack in my curtains and right into my eyes. I’m used to the annoying chirping coming from the tree right outside my window while Darcy smacks at the windowpane, trying to catch them.

Oh, Darcy.

I couldn’t ever find her last night, and I’m sure with the door standing wide open, she got out of the house. She’s gotten out before and came back within a day, so I just have to hope she does it this time. I set some food out on the porch before we left last night, and I put her travel crate out there with a fluffy blanket inside, so she has a warmer place to sleep. I’ll go over there today and see if I can find her.

After making the bed, I get into the shower, which is beyond strange to me when I realize this is the very same shower that Drew uses. I pick up his shower gel and inhale the familiar scent deeply. It has a clean scent but also a hint of drool-inducing cologne. It’s that smell that brings back memories of what happened last night since he’d just gotten out of the shower before we kissed. I suddenly feel as if I’ve been punched in the gut, and I still feel terrible about kissing him while thinking about someone else. There are so many mixed feelings swirling around in my head, they make me dizzy.

I wish I could just remove myself from both Drew and Sawyer, and maybe I can determine exactly what my feelings for each of them truly are. But now that I’m practically living in Drew’s house, that’s going to be hard to do. Sawyer has been somewhat removed, I guess, since my laptop has been destroyed and my cell phone isn’t smart enough to email or chat. I’ve never noticed a computer in Drew’s house, and Callie’s is out of the question, so I guess I’ll have to try to check my email at school tomorrow. I need to let Sawyer know what’s happened over the last couple of days, so he isn’t worried that something has happened to me.

After I go downstairs to make myself a cup of coffee, I take it out on the deck and enjoy the warmth of the sun soaking into my skin and the smell of the bay all around me. It’s a little too cool, but it really is beautiful out here. Serenity is something elusive for me; I rarely get moments like this to myself, and it’s nice.

When my cell phone starts ringing in the kitchen, I jump up and jog inside to catch it. I’m afraid my parents have somehow found out about the break-in and have called to freak out on me. I really should call and tell them about it, but they worry enough about me as it is. I’ll just have to hope they don’t decide to come down for a surprise visit until I can get that mess cleaned up.

I don’t recognize the number on the display, but I immediately know that voice when I answer.

“Hey, Makenna! I sure was hoping I’d catch you. Can you take a break from your class for a sec?”

“Hi, Mrs. Georgia. I actually took the day off today. Is something wrong?”

Her long sigh tells me there is. “Well, sweetie, it’s Mr. Lincoln.”

“Oh, no,” I interrupt. “Is he okay?” Please, let him be okay.

“He’s just fine. But he’s
adamant
that we call you and remind you that you’re supposed to visit today. He even
asked
for a bath, so we know it’s something important to him. We’re lucky to force one on him twice a week. He’s been yelling at his nurse all morning that she needed to call you, so she finally gave in and asked me to.”

Well, well, well . . . seems like Mr. I-Hate-Everybody is excited to see me today. Or maybe it’s just the chocolate. I may be grasping at straws, but I’ll take what I can get.

“I’m glad you called me. I have a lot going on, and I had actually forgotten. Please let William know that I’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

After Georgia presses me more on my friendship with someone related to William—and I refuse to give up any information, I get dressed and straighten the kitchen back up, washing the coffee pot and my mug. At the end of the island, there is a folded note and a key.

Okay, a little cheesy, but also kinda cute. And I’m really glad he thought of it because I sure didn’t. Although, having this key makes this all seem more real. I have a key to his house. He called me his girlfriend. He told me he loves me. And he kissed me last night. I just jumped from casually dating to being a live-in girlfriend in a matter of days without even really realizing it. I’ve never been claustrophobic before, but the reality of my relationship with Drew has the walls closing in on me.

I have to get out of here for a while. Spending one night in his house has me freaking out, so I’m not sure exactly how it’s going to go when I’m really living with him in Indianapolis. The only thing keeping me sane right now is the fact that I have several months before that happens. And I’ll get to go back to my house as soon as the back door gets fixed and I get the mess cleaned up. That really needs to happen sooner rather than later.

After locking up the house and reluctantly putting his key onto my key ring, I hop in my car to head home, hoping to find Darcy impatiently pacing the front porch. Being in my own car, I feel the weight lifting. Even knowing that I’m going home to a huge mess, I still can’t wait to be in my own space. Living alone for so long has spoiled me.

The house looks deceivingly peaceful when I park in the driveway, and I’m struck with the resemblance between me and my house at that very moment. Normal appearance on the outside, utter chaos on the inside.

I check the crate and food dishes on the porch, and neither has been touched. I nervously peek my head in the door and call out for Darcy, but there isn’t a sound, so I walk all the way into the foyer and stare at the wrecked disorder. I don’t understand why someone would get any pleasure from breaking into a house and completely ransacking the place. I don’t know how I’ll ever get it livable again. So much has to be replaced and repaired.

Before the threatening tears can make their appearance, I hit the road to see William, cranking up my radio as loud as I possibly can to drown out all thought. Music is my only escape from reality sometimes, and paired with the open stretch of highway, I’m almost human again. Of course, being human also makes me forgetful, and I nearly forget William’s chocolate. Nothing a sneaky little U-turn doesn’t fix.

As soon as I come through those heavy double doors at Hillcrest Manor, the sound of squeaky shoes echoes around the lobby, and I have to fight to keep my eyes from rolling.

“Well, there you are! I’ve been watching for you. That old coot is giving everyone fits!”

I can only imagine. “I’m here now. Can I go on up?”

Her eyes narrow, and her mouth curls up on one side. “Just one second. I got curious and pulled Mr. Lincoln’s records. He’s only ever had one person visit, and those visits are rare. That person is also the one that pays for him to be here. So, judging by what you said about doing a favor for a friend, that means Sawyer Harris must be the friend.”

“Mrs. Georgia, you must’ve been a detective in a past life.” I chuckle and take a single step toward the stairs before she catches my arm.

“Once I saw his name, I remembered him coming in here. He’s a handsome young man, don’t you think?”

Oh, jeez. “Yes, ma’am. I suppose he is.”

“It’s sweet the way he’s practically adopted old Mr. Lincoln, too. He must have a big heart. Did he tell you that they aren’t even related? We have trouble getting our residents’ own family to pay sometimes.”

I know she’s fishing for information, and I also know I’d better give her a little nibble, or I’ll be standing here all day long. “Yes, ma’am. Sawyer did tell me that they aren’t related.”

“I knew it.” She grins before popping her gum. “I’ve been thinking about setting you up with my nephew, but I didn’t know if you were in a relationship or not. As soon as you said Sawyer’s name, that dreamy look on your face gave me the answer I needed.”

“Oh, I’m not—”

“No need to explain,” she interrupts. “You’re one lucky girl. Every nurse in this building makes an excuse to go into Mr. Lincoln’s room when Sawyer comes to visit. Even at my age, I’d have no problem going all cougar on that mountain of a man.”

Oh. My. Gosh. She did
not
just say that. “Umm, well, thanks. I better get up there before he thinks I’m not coming and really causes a scene.”

“Okay, sure. Maybe you’ll bring Sawyer with you next time?”

“We’ll see.”

Before she can come up with anything else to say, I dart up the stairs and find his room. Remembering the airborne pillow last time, I decide to knock and announce myself before I open the door. “William? It’s me, Makenna.”

“Do you have the chocolate?” he yells.

I almost feel like I’m doing a drug deal. “Lots of it.”

“Well, what the hell are you waiting for? Come in!”

I can’t help but smile when I push the door open with my foot, standing at the side of the door for a moment just to be sure he’s not going to throw something.

“Hi, William.” I approach him carefully, noticing his damp hair combed perfectly into place.