“I’m going to say goodbye to Wyatt,” I tell him. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Okay?”
“I love you.” Is all he replies.
I walk out of the bedroom, close the door behind me, and head straight into the hallway. My legs are shaking. My chest is tight. The tears are right there, pressing against my eyes, but I will not cry.
I stop outside Wyatt’s room. His door is cracked open. The blue nightlight is still on. I can hear him stirring under the covers, that half-asleep shuffle he does before his brain decides whether to wake up or roll over.
I push the door open gently.
He blinks up at me from his pillow. “Lola?”
My heart shatters. I cross the room and kneel beside his bed. Setting my bag down on the floor. Take his tiny hand in mine.
“Hey, bud,” I whisper. “I’m heading to New York today, remember? To see my dad for his birthday.”
He nods sleepily. Then his face crumples. “You’re coming back though, right?”
And there it is. The question that guts me more than anything Hunter said in that bedroom. Because this little boy has already had one woman leave and not come back. And now I’m walking out of his door with a bag over my shoulder.
I made a promise to him. And to Hunter.
I press my forehead against his. “I promise you, Wyatt. I am coming back. Okay? I will always come back to you.”
His bottom lip wobbles. “Always?”
“Always.” I squeeze his hand. “You’re stuck with me, kid. Me, you, Gary, and the whole zoo of animals out there. I’m not going anywhere.”
He half smiles. Then reaches up and wraps his arms around my neck, pulling me into a hug so tight that it takes the air out of my lungs. “I love you, Lola,” he whispers into my hair.
The tears come. I can’t stop them. They spill down my cheeks and soak into his pajama shirt, and I hold him tighter because if I let go, I’m not sure I can walk out of this house.
“I love you, too, Wyatt. So much.”
I pull back and wipe my face with the back of my hand and press a kiss to his forehead. “When I get back, I think we should ask your dad if we can all go horse riding together. Does that sound good?”
He grins. “Yes!”
“Go back to sleep, bud. I’ll be home before you know it.”
He nods and rolls over, pulling the blanket up to his chin. His dog lifts its head, looks at me, then settles back down.
I stand. Pick up my bag and walk out of his room, and pull the door gently shut. And then I press my back against the hallway wall and let out a silent sob. Because that little boy just said he loves me. And his father just made me feel like I don’t belong. Even if he didn’t mean it. The words still cut deeper than I imagined they ever would.
I wipe my face. Straighten my spine and take a breath to recompose.
As I head downstairs, Beau is in the kitchen. Leaning against the counter with a mug of coffee, still in last night’s clothes, his longer hair pushed back. He looks like he hasn’t slept.
He takes one look at me, and his expression doesn’t change. Not even slightly.
“Can you give me a lift to the airport?” I ask.
I’ve not even checked the flights to New York, but there are bound to be some today. And the chances of Violet being awake are zero. So, Beau is my best option. Perhaps… on the drive, I might get him to actually like me. Maybe a sliver more. Nothing dramatic because I don’t think I’ll ever win this guy over.
He studies me for a beat and sets down his mug. “Yeah.” He grabs his keys off the counter. “Let’s go.”
He doesn’t ask what happened. Doesn’t ask where Hunter is. Doesn’t offer comfort or pry or do any of the things a normal person would do when a woman with puffy eyes and no wedding rings asks for a ride at five in the morning.
He just walks past me and opens the front door.