“I’m taking her to my place, Callie,” he said quietly. “Take my truck for me, yes? Leave it at the store.”
He lifted me from the trunk, slipping me into the passenger seat. He crouched beside me, wrapping his hand around my fingers that fisted his shirt. “You need to let go, Dani. Just for a minute, okay? I won’t leave you, but you have to let go.”
I had to tell him. “You were right, Noah. You were so right.”
“That doesn’t make me happy, Dani, but I know. We’ll figure this out, baby. Together.”
I let my arm fall, and he quickly moved to the driver’s seat, sliding in and taking my hand, holding it tight to his chest. “Relax, baby. You’re safe now. I have you.”
I nodded in relief.
He had me.
I started to shake. Long, uncontrolled shivers tore through me as I sat on Noah’s sofa. He was in the kitchen making me a cup of tea, only a few feet from me, but I couldn’t see him. My throat felt as if it were closing, and I gripped the arm of the sofa, trying to find my composure, hating how weak I was. He was right there—I was safe—I knew all this. But the fact that I couldn’t touch him made me frantic. I stood, the air around me too thick to breathe. I stumbled over the ottoman, pitching forward, landing on my knees, hot tears streaming down my face again. Noah was beside me right away, gathering me close and pressing my face to his chest.
“Hey, Dani,” he crooned. “I’m right here, baby. I’m right here.”
I clung to him like a child, even as I felt mortification race through me. Where was the strong woman I had been for so long? Why was I acting like such an adolescent?
Noah’s arms tightened. “You are strong, Dani. You aren’t acting like a child. Your body is warning you that you need to stop.” He ran his lips over my head. “You have to listen, baby. God, please listen. I can’t lose you. Not now—not ever.”
Wrapped in his embrace, I once again calmed. How did he have such an effect on me? No one in my life had ever done what he could do.
He held me close, letting me clutch his shirt until the last of the tremors faded and I slumped against him in exhaustion. He slipped his long fingers under my chin, lifting my face. “Hi,” he murmured, his warm green eyes filled with concern. “Better now?”
“I couldn’t see you. I knew…I knew you were there, but I couldn’t see you,” I whispered, my voice rough from crying.
He stood, lifting me with him as if I weighed no more than a feather, and carried me into the kitchen, setting me down on the counter. He reached over, flicking the kettle back on. “I’m making you some chamomile tea with honey for your throat. It will help calm you too. Then you’re having a bath—with me—and you’re going to tell me what happened that brought this on.” He shook his head. “This is the worst one, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
He leaned his forehead to mine. “I should have come in.”
“It would have happened anyway. Martin… he…” My voice shook.
“What?”
“He refused my time off, Noah.” My voice rose in panic. “He has two new companies he wants to purchase, and I have to start work on them next week! Two!” I felt my head shaking frantically. “I can’t… I just can’t… I don’t—”
Noah grabbed my face, his head shaking as fast as mine. “You won’t have to. Listen to me, Dani. It’s going to be all right, okay? Tomorrow, we’ll work it out. Everything is going to be okay. Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Then relax. Let me take care of you tonight, and tomorrow, we’ll work it all out. I promise.” His grip tightened as he met my gaze, his eyes calm and determined. “I promise.”
I sighed shakily, feeling exhausted. It felt as if it had been days since the meeting, not hours. “Okay.”
He pulled me back into his arms. “Okay.”
He let me sit on the counter as he moved around, making me tea and some toast, insisting I had to eat something. As long as I could see him, I was calm. His phone rang, and he glanced at me, indicating he was only stepping out onto the deck. Obviously, he needed some privacy, and I nodded, holding on to my mug a little tighter. He was only outside for a few minutes before he returned and came directly to me. “Is that all you can manage?” he asked quietly, frowning at the toast I had nibbled on.
“Yes.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it and smiled gently at me. “Tomorrow will be a better day.” He scooped me off the counter. “Now, a bath and bed.”