Page 118 of Almost Yours
I pace the living room while I wait, unable to keep still. Bramble watches me with curious eyes from her spot on the couch, head tilted, trying to understand my nervous energy.
The crunch of tires on gravel makes my heart leap into my throat. I move to the window, watching as Rowan’s truck pulls up. He sits there for a moment after cutting the engine, and I wonder if he’s as nervous as I am.
When he finally steps out, my breath catches. He looks tired, shadows under his eyes and hair a little messier than usual.
I open the door and, for a moment, we just stand there, drinking each other in.
“Hi,” I say finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Hi,” he echoes, hands shoved in his pockets as if he doesn’t trust himself not to reach for me.
I step back, letting him in. Bramble darts forward, nearly knocking Rowan over in her excitement. He crouches, burying his face in her fur as she whines and licks at his chin.
“She missed you,” I say, watching them.
He looks up, eyes finding mine. “I missed her, too.” The unspokenand youhangs between us.
We move to the living room, and he sits on the edge of the armchair, like he’s afraid to take up too much space.
“How are you?” he asks.
“Okay,” I lie, then catch myself. “Actually, no. I’m not okay.”
“Me neither.”
I take a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking a lot. About us.”
“I’m sorry,” he says immediately. “Violet, I?—”
“Let me finish,” I say gently. “Please.”
He nods, hands clasped between his knees.
“I’ve spent this whole week wondering if I should walk away.”
His face pales, but he doesn’t interrupt.
“I’d never be able to do it,” I admit.
I move toward him, close enough that I can reach out and touch him if I want. “Is there any way you can be home more often? I understand you need to work?—”
“I quit.”
My heart races. “What?”
“I quit my job,” he repeats. “I handed in my resignation a couple days after we talked.”
“But…your career. I never asked you to?—”
“I know you didn’t.” He runs a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. “Truth is, I only ever took that job because Iwanted to prove something. To you, to your parents. That I could provide. That I wasn’t going to end up like my dad.”
His fragile confession hangs between us. I watch his shoulders sag, like he’s finally setting down a weight he’s been carrying for far too long.
“I wanted to be the kind of man who could give you everything,” he continues, his voice rough. “A stable home. Financial security. All the things my old man never gave us. I thought if I could do that, then maybe I’d be worthy of you.”
My throat tightens. “Rowan…”
“But what’s the point?” His eyes meet mine. “What’s the point of any of it if it’s hurting you, Violet?”
