“Sutton?” His voice wakes me.
I feel rested and it’s bright in the room.
“How’d you get here? How did I get here?”
I turn to him, expecting him to be glaring at me again.
He’s not. His brows are knitted together, but this time in confusion rather than anger. “What’s going on?”
“How much do you remember?”
Anchor rubs his head and closes his eyes. “Nothing.”
“I drove you home. Your car’s parked at the bar.”
He groans. “How much did I drink?”
“I have no idea.”
Anchor opens his eyes and meets my gaze. “Why are you here?” It’s not an accusation. Not a demand that I leave.
“I went to the bar last night to apologize. You didn’t want anything to do with it then, but maybe I can try again now.”
He continues rubbing his head, but doesn’t attempt to stop me.
I sit up and twist my neck until it pops. “Anchor, I’m really sorry for everything I’ve put you through. It wasn’t fair of me to push you away when all you wanted was for us to get through our pain together. I was selfish. The only thing I could see was my own pain. But without you, I spiraled. Got even more depressed. More hopeless. I wallowed in my misery, seeing no way out.”
Anchor pushes himself up and holds my gaze. “What changed? Why did you go to the bar yesterday to apologize?”
I look down at his hands. The naked fingers. “Lincoln came over and told me how you’ve been doing. He’s worried about you. I hadn’t realized what was going on, and it scared me.”
He places a finger under my chin and guides me to look back up at his eyes. “What scared you?”
My lips tremble. I swallow. “The thought of you hurting so bad that you’d turn to drinking. The thought of losing you. Knowing I’d pushed you away. That I did this to you.”
Anchor pulls me close, pressing me against his chest. Wrapping his arms tightly around me. His heart beats against my ear. It feels so good to be back in his embrace. So right.
This is where I belong.
“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say that.”
Relief washes through me.
He runs his fingers through my hair. “I wanted to be there for you. To stay and help you through everything, but I just couldn’t. You didn’t want me there. I couldn’t help. I wasn’t enough. The best thing I could do for you was to give you space. After two weeks of not hearing from you, I gave up hope. I’d left you alone for two weeks and you didn’t even notice.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He kisses the top of my head. “I can’t blame you. Not after everything you’ve endured. I can’t expect to be enough. Nothing is. But I didn’t know how to deal with it. Some guys at work kept inviting me to grab a beer after work, so finally I agreed. Then once I realized it helped numb my feelings, I went overboard. Couldn’t stop.”
Tears sting my eyes. “It’s my fault.”
Anchor shakes his head. “It’s not. Neither of us knew how to deal with this loss. What brought us together initially is the same thing that pushed us away.”
“I never want that to happen again.” I pull away from his hold and lace my fingers through his. “I need you, I know that now. Can we go back to that night in the hotel room after the funeral? When I promised you that we’d get through this together?”
He blinks a few times. “I’d like that.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t keep my promise to be here for you.”
Anchor presses a finger to my mouth. “No more apologies. You’re completely forgiven. But can we talk about this after some food and ibuprofen? I’ve got a raging headache that I can’t keep ignoring.”
“Of course.” I sniff the air. Bacon and coffee. “I’ll meet you downstairs for breakfast.”
He gives me a quick kiss before climbing out of bed and plodding out of the room.
“Wait.” I scramble out of the bed.
Anchor turns around.
“Will you put your wedding ring back on? Is that too much to ask?”
His eyes widen. “You think I took it off because I didn’t want to be married?”
I bite my lower lip and nod. “You didn’t?”
Anchor pulls me close again. “Not at all. I’m working with machinery at the construction site, and the ring is a risk of losing my finger. You didn’t know because I didn’t wear any jewelry when I had this position before.” He steps back and pulls his wedding band from his pocket. “Guess I forgot to put it back on last night. It wasn’t intentional, I promise. You’re the only one for me. Always and forever.”
Anchor
Three Years Later
I tap my foot as I rock back and forth on the porch swing Sutton insisted would be perfect for the front of our house. She was right, which is why I listened to her and bought it as a surprise the day we moved in. A smile spreads across my face as I remember how happy she was. I’d pretended I’d hated it so she didn’t expect to ever see it at our home.
A neighbor waves as she walks by, pushing a stroller.
“Hi, Melissa!” I wave and smile to hide my aching heart. To this day, every time I see a child, my heart aches. Reminds me of Kady. I wonder what she’d be doing if she were still with us. It gets harder to guess as more time passes.
Would she still be into dance, or would that have been just a phase? Would she care at all about Sparkles the Unicorn anymore? What about her part in the movie? But then again, if she hadn’t gotten sick and left us, she wouldn’t have been in the movie.
A breeze blows by, and I shiver. I’ve been sitting outside for quite a while and probably should go in. I’ve been spending a lot of time on this swing lately.
I notice some weeds in the grass, so I get up and stretch, then head for the yard. It wasn’t until I got a house of my own that I fully understood why my dad had always insisted that we pull weeds. I yank them out and toss them into the yard waste container.
Shivering again, I study the house. It seems so big and empty, yet it never felt that way when we bought the house. Kady’s absence was felt, of course. She should’ve been there with us, but wasn’t.
The front door bursts open. Sutton practically leaps outside, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Paint is smeared across her forehead and drizzled on her overalls.
My heart skips a beat. She’s even more gorgeous than the day we married, when she didn’t have a hair out of place or a speck of paint on her.
“All set!” She waves me over. “Come on!”
“Okay!” I close the yard waste and jog to her.
Sutton wraps her arms around my waist and plants her lips on mine. “Are you ready?”
“To see the secret project you’ve been working on for weeks? Of course!”
She pulls me inside, kicks the door closed, then leads me through our living room. Pictures of Kady and Kade catch my attention, as do photos of Sutton and me since then. Our graduation. Our really-late honeymoon in Iceland and the United Kingdom. The recent trip to Mexico to help build an orphanage.
No more kids, though. Not for a lack of trying. We’ve given up after two years of failed attempts. If it happens, then great. If not, then it wasn’t meant to be. Maybe it would lead to too much heartache—more than we could handle.
“Are you curious?” She turns to me with a sparkle in her eyes as we make our way up the stairs.
“So curious.”
She stops once we get to the top of the stairs and beams. “Any guesses?”
I glance over at the door she hasn’t let me open in more than a week. She’s taken that time off work at the construction company we now co-own with Dad to work on her mystery project. I’ve been trying to guess since she started. “You’re building me the man cave I’ve been dreaming about?”
“No.” Sutton gives me a playful shove. “Try again.”
“A home office, so we can work remotely more often?”
She
shakes her head.
I take a deep breath. “A cat room? You secretly bought five more, and now they get their own space.”
Sutton bursts out laughing. “Hardly. You really don’t know?”
“No clue.”
“Come and see, then.”
“Okay.” I march ahead and grab the doorknob, but then pause dramatically.
“Open it!” Her enthusiasm reminds me of Kady.
“Okay, okay.” I turn and give her a kiss before opening the door.
Inside, our old catch-all room has been completely transformed. It now has a crib, a bassinet, a changing table, and a rocking chair. The walls have been painted a warm shade of green with teddy bears stenciled over the crib.
My heart thunders in my chest. I turn to her. “Are you…?” I can’t even say the word. Don’t dare to hope after all the failed attempts.
She nods and pulls out a white stick. Shows me two lines. “I’m pregnant! We’re going to have a baby!”
“But, but…” I stumble to find my words and look back and forth between her and the room.
“I know it seems early. But I waited. I’ve known about a month. I even had an exam to make sure everything is as it should be. It is, everything’s perfect. Please don’t be mad that I kept this from you. I didn’t want to get your hopes up just to disappoint you again.”
My mind spins as I take in the news.
“You’re not upset that I went to the appointment without you?”
I shake my head, unable to find words.
She reaches for a framed picture on a shelf and hands it to me. It’s an ultrasound printout. It shows a little jellybean.
My throat closes up. “This is our baby?”
Sutton nods, tears shining in her eyes.
I wrap my arms around her and spin her in a circle. “We’re really going to have a baby?”
“We are!” She kisses me, and I set her down.
“This is cause for celebration! Where do you want to go?”
“How about we dance the night away in a barn called Delia’s?”
“Just like the night I proposed.” I beam, but then frown. “The waitlist is weeks long.”
She smiles mischievously. “I may have talked them into getting us in.”
“You did?” My heart melts as I look at her. Then it melts even more as I think of her carrying our baby. I place my palm on her belly. It’s ever-so-slightly rounded. How had I not noticed before?
“Everything’s set. We just need to get ready.” She gasps.
“What?” I turn around. Then I see it. A bright rainbow shining outside the window.
She slips her hand in mine. “Kade and Kady must be happy for us.”
“I think they are.” We stare at the rainbow in silence, then I pick her up and swing her around again.
Dreams really do come true, and they shine even brighter with the background of heartache and trials. Our future is as bright as possible, especially knowing two people we love with all of our hearts are smiling down on us.
You May Enjoy…
An excerpt from Rogan and Kenna’s story…
The railroad tracks rumble beneath my pink sneakers, vibrating my entire body along with them. My heart thunders in my chest.
I’m not backing out.
Sunshine beats down on me. It’s early summer, but it’s already proving to be an especially hot one. A rarity for a suburb of Seattle. It’s too bad I won’t be here to enjoy it.
Off to the side, near the shade of the trees, movement distracts me. Something is nearby. I can’t tell what.
And I don’t care.
The rumble of the tracks grows stronger. It’s harder to balance.
My pulse races as the deep-throated horn blares through the air.
Though the driver clearly sees me, the green and yellow machine doesn’t appear to slow.
Good. That’s exactly what I want.
The horn wails again, this time rippling through me.
My right foot slips from the track. I land in the middle of the two long pieces of metal. It’s probably for the best. I’ll be hit by the center of the train. More force to end it all faster.
Squeal! Tssh…
The brakes.
No!
Don’t stop!
Trains take forever to stop. Like half a mile or something. This can still happen.
I do the only thing I can. I burst into a run toward the massive, now-slowing vehicle.
The horn blares again, but I barely notice it. I can’t let the train stop before it reaches me. If I'm going to get anything right in my life, it has to be this.
Now that I’m running, it’s coming toward me faster. My heart pounds harder.
This is it. It’s really going to happen. I can almost count down, but it would be too disappointing to get to zero, only to find out that I’d miscalculated.
The horn now sounds like a constant noise. That driver really wants me off the tracks.
He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.
I’m ready for this.
Something hits me. From the side.
Wait, what?
Now everything is a blur. I’m sailing through the air sideways. Away from the train! It’s leaving my line of sight.
My shoulder hits the ground first. Then my hip and side. My head hits. Hard.
I roll. Dirt and gravel get in my face.
I’m a mess of soil and grass.
The train barrels past.
I missed my train!
“What were you thinking?” demands a male voice from behind.
I spin toward the voice and glare at its owner. The gorgeous face of the owner. His almost-shoulder-length wavy hair is mostly covered by a gray beanie which perfectly matches his plaid flannel shirt.
“What were you thinking?” he repeats.
I jump up and dust rocks and grass from my jeans and shirt. “Me? What about you? Why’d you do that?”
He stands, but doesn’t dust himself off. “You mean why did I save your life?”
“Yeah.” I glower at him. My heart continues racing, but now from anger instead of excitement. “I had it all planned perfectly. Then you show up. The one variable I didn’t take into account. Jerk.”
He shakes his head. “You’re unbelievable. I save your life, and you call me names.”
“I called you a jerk. That’s one name. Learn to count.”
“Why’d you do it?” He adjusts his hat and tilts his head. His eyes are filled more with concern than annoyance now.
The guy is flipping gorgeous, but in the most down-to-earth way imaginable.
It’s infuriating.
“What’s so awful that a pretty girl like you wants to end it all?”
Pretty? Me? The guy obviously needs glasses. Maybe they flew off when he ruined my plans.
“Don’t you have anything to say?”
“Not to you.” I fold my arms.
“Hey, I saved your life. The least you could do is tell me why you were going to throw it all away.”
I sigh as dramatically as I can. Seriously, I really draw it out and even manage a slight eye roll. Maybe I should’ve gone into acting. Too late for that. For anything, really.
There will be another train.
I ignore the hottie and storm toward the tracks. “This time I’m going to get it right.”
He jumps between me and the tracks. “And if I don’t let you?”
“You’re going to try to stop me again?”
“Yeah.” He knits his brows together, clearly daring me to try and stop him.
Why does he have to be so attractive? It’s aggravating.
I clench my fists. “I’ve fought off guys bigger than you.”
He arches a brow. “Really?”
“You’d better believe it. Wanna try me?” I step closer, ready to kick him where the sun doesn’t shine for messing up my plans. I should be all over those tracks, yet here I am just arguing with a mysterious guy who shows up out of
nowhere.
He steps back with a little laugh. “Okay, I believe you. Hey, why don’t we grab something to eat?”
I just stare at him. He can’t be for real. “You want to get some lunch? After this?”
“I’m hungry. Aren’t you?”
“Doesn’t matter. I didn’t bring any money.” I need to get rid of him so I can catch the next train. It’ll be another fifteen minutes. Yes, I checked. Just in case something went wrong. I’m prepared.
He shrugs. “I have money. Come on.”
It takes me a moment to realize what he said. “Now you want to pay for my meal?”
“Yeah. Come on.”
“What? Am I your charity case for the day?”
He doesn’t move a muscle.
My stomach growls. Loudly.
He chuckles and rubs the light dusting of facial hair across his cheeks. “Sounds like you could use something to eat.”
“What I need is the next train!”
Why did I admit that to him?
“Let’s get something to eat. You don’t even have to tell me why you’re out here. Just eat the food, and sit there being furious at me for saving your life. Sound like a plan?”
I clench my jaw, not wanting to give into him. My stomach rumbles again. Why did he have to bring up food?
“Well?” The corners of his perfect mouth twitch. He finds me amusing.
“Fine.” I may as well get a meal for my trouble.
There will be other trains. And looking at this guy won’t be the worst way to spend my last hour.
Read more here: https://stacyclaflin.com/books/when-tomorrow-starts-without-me/
Stacy Claflin is a USA Today bestselling author who has written over fifty books in multiple genres. Read about some of her popular series below or go to the next section to see the full list of books available.
If you enjoy suspense, you may like the Alex Mercer thrillers.
About Girl in Trouble:
He gave up his daughter years ago, but now he’ll risk his life to save hers.
Alex Mercer is no stranger to kidnappings. The emotional scars still run deep from his sister’s disappearance years earlier. His daughter Ariana remains safe long after her adoption, and he cherishes the few times a year he gets to see her. The joy is palpable when he takes her on their first one-on-one outing. At least until he pauses to answer a text and Ariana disappears…
The Only Things You Can Take (Wildflower Romance #2) Page 26
