Three dots appeared.
They disappeared.
They appeared again.
Gone.
The cycle continued, and a ball of nerves came to life in Ryker’s stomach. He’d never been glued to his phone before, not understanding the way River and her friends seemed to be texting day and night, but now…
Now he got it.
Ryker would stare at this phone for hours if it meant he’d see the message the moment Brynleigh replied.
Finally, a new text popped up.
My biggest fear—the one that haunts me far more than snakes, storms, and spiders—is that you’ll never forgive me. I’m afraid that we’ll never get back to what we had. I’m so sorry, Ryker. I should have come clean before the wedding. Maybe if I had, we could’ve figured something out together. I don’t want us to be broken, and I’m afraid it’s too late. I’m afraid that nothing can fix us, and I hate that more than anything else.
By the time Ryker got to the end of the message, he couldn’t breathe. He pressed the green call button, and she picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?” she said breathlessly.
Fuck.
Hearing her voice after days apart was like the coolest drink of wateron a hot, dry day. It soothed a hurt in him that he hadn’t even known existed.
“I’m fucking sorry, too, sweetheart.” Now that Ryker had called her that, he couldn’t stop. “You never should’ve been in the Pit. I should’ve paid more attention to what they were doing. I should’ve stopped it. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
His grief over her betrayal had blinded him, but he saw things clearly now.
“It’s not your fault,” she replied. “Not really. You were just reacting. I don’t blame you for being upset.”
Gods, he hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear that until now.
Ryker exhaled. His eyes slipped shut as his head fell against the wall. “I miss you. So gods-damn much.”
She drew in a deep breath, and the sound made his heart stir. There was something incredibly familiar about talking like this, and for the first time since their wedding night, a deep sense of peace filled his heart.
“I miss you too, Ry.” That name. It sent shivers down his spine. For so long, he thought he’d never hear it again. “When do you think you’re coming home?”
Hearing Brynleigh call his apartment home warmed his heart. “Tomorrow, hopefully. We finally got a lead.”
“I’m glad. Maybe when you get back…” Her voice trailed off.
“Yes?” he prodded.
No matter what she was about to ask him, he’d agree.
There was another pause, and then she blurted, “Maybe when you get back, we could play chess?”
A smile stretched across his face. “I’d love that more than you know.”
“Me too,” she whispered. “Do you have a few minutes to chat?”
“I have all the time in the world for you.” What was sleep when they were finally talking and building a bridge over the divide separating them?
And so, they talked. Brynleigh described the sunrise she’d watched earlier, and he told her more about the dragons. She was fascinated andasked a dozen questions, which only stopped when a yawn slipped from Ryker’s mouth despite his best efforts to hold it in.
“Go to sleep, Ry,” she murmured. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”