Wiping my hands on my jeans again, I felt my pocket, making sure it was still there.
I’d carried it around with me everywhere I went for days now and it was burning a hole in my pocket, too scared to put it down in case anyone found it. Nothing was ever a secret on this compound and so far, I’d managed to keep it just that.
The sound of the door opening had me spinning around. He stepped through the door, almost as if in slow motion.
It was time.
Corey hadn’t wanted us to see him off, he wanted to leave the house like he was just going out for a while and would be back in just a few hours.
Eli went to preschool just like any other day, but I couldn’t stop the tear sliding down my face as they hugged goodbye. As soon as Ty drove off with Eli, it was time for Corey to go.
I squeezed him as tight as I could, not caring about the pain that it caused me. Taking a deep breath, I tried to lock away the smell that was all Corey.
“I’ll see you real soon,” he whispered in my ear.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. “Love you.”
“Love you too, sis.”
He pulled away, his eyes misted over and he cleared his throat. He patted Monty on the head as he walked past him, not looking back as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
Leaning against the counter, I couldn’t help the sob that escaped me. I wished I had been able to spend more time with him, that I would’ve been the one to introduce him to Eli.
I’d missed out on things again, all thanks to Max.
Wrapping my arms around my middle, I let it all out. Knowing that if I didn’t, it would eat away at me.
I leaned against the counter, not bothering to wipe the tears away as they flowed down my face.
“Sweetheart?” Ty said when he came back and I was still in the same position. “He’ll be fine.”
“I know,” I sniffled.
Looking up at the hand he held out to me, I took it. He pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me, kissing the side of my head.
“Let’s go up to the clearing,” he said, keeping his arm around me and guiding me out the sliding doors.
I let him lead me, knowing that anything was better than standing there sobbing, and wishing that Corey hadn’t just left us again.
We walked through the woods in silence, taking our time as we weaved through the trees. The tears stopped by the time we had got to the clearing and we made our way straight to the picnic bench and sat down.
Ty put one leg on either side of the bench, facing me. I smiled softly at him, glad that he was here with me.
“Kay?” He reached for my hand, his voice serious.
I looked up into his eyes, now just noticing how much he was shaking. “Ty, what’s-”
“Wait.” He held up his hand and closed his eyes.
His chest lifted as he took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes back up, he said, “I’ve wanted to say this to you for months.”
“Okay…”
“Since the first time you walked into my office, I knew. I knew that you would change my life but I had no idea just how much that would be.”
I had this weird combination of a smile and a frown, confused but happy at what he was saying. I’d known that he felt strongly for me but hearing him say it out loud was different. I had a feeling I knew what he was about to say and I knew that I would say it back because I’d felt the same for a long time.
“I love you, Kay.” His chest rose and fell with another deep breath. “I love you so much.”