Chapter 38 I stood, my hands braced on the counter, staring down at the cutting board I'd already wiped three times, yet still had crumbs. Scarlet had left a streak of marinara near the faucet. Talon's silver tray sat abandoned on the counter. The kind of chaos that didn't bother me as much as it normally would have. I had other things on my mind. Everyone was in the living room, the kids shrieking with laughter as my father showed Scarlet some old dance moves of his. Bea's voice threaded through it all, blending so well, it was like she'd always been there. I was supposed to stay away. I'd promised her that. We were still deep in Antarctica with no signs of leaving. Her boundary had been clear, and I'd done my level best to abide by it. Then she walked through the door. The sight of her in my home would've been enough to undo me, but it hadn't stopped there. When the kids had put the plastic crown on her head, her eyes had filled with tears. She'd played along when Talon had switched into butler mode. And her damn shirt had kept slipping off her shoulder like gravity was conspiring against me. I gripped the edge of the counter harder, jaw clenched tight. I wanted her. Not only for me, but for her too. The need to pull her into my arms when she'd casually mentioned never celebrating her birthday had been so overwhelming, I'd nearly had to leave the table. If it were up to me, she'd never have to question whether someone would remember her birthday. She'd come to expect it. We'd celebrate the hell out of her, making up for a lifetime of neglect. But she didn't want that. Not from me. We were in Antarctica. So I kept my mouth shut and my eyes off her, fighting every instinct I possessed in order to give her what she'd asked for. "Oh. I didn't know you were in here." My head shot up at the sound of her voice. "I was cleaning up. Did you need something?" Beatrice Novak fidgeting, one foot balanced on top of the other, chewing on her bottom lip, looking unsure and off-balance. It was so foreign, I had to do a double take to make sure it was really her. Then I forced my eyes off her, for both our sakes. "A few paper towels. Tally spilled his water." I ripped a sheet off the roll and offered it to her, making sure our hands didn't touch. "There you go." She sucked in a breath, like she was preparing to leap into something or make a run for it. I couldn't tell which. I glanced at her, and she finally spoke. "You stopped chasing me." Her words were barely more than a whisper, but they struck me in the gut like a sledgehammer. I couldn't form a response. I was winded, and my mind had been wiped clean of intelligible thought. She nodded, like she'd come to a conclusion. "It's fine. At least I know. Thanks for having me over tonight. This was...well, it was the best. Good night, Tore." I watched her walk away. Listened to her say goodbye to the children. Imagined them embracing her with all their might. Through it all, I didn't say a word. Didn't move. Just stood there, grasping the roll of paper towels, replaying what she'd said. You stopped chasing me. The floor tilted beneath me. I'd gotten it wrong. All of it very, very wrong. "She's gone." I turned, finding my dad standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, looking more pissed than I'd ever seen him. "She's the one you were seeing." "She is," I confirmed. "I know. I'm not stupid." He chuckled mirthlessly. "You might be, though, if you let her leave." I didn't answer. I couldn't exactly argue with that. My dad shook his head. "I swear to god, Sal, if you don't go after her, I will." That got my attention. My head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "I don't think so," I growled. He shrugged. "Then go get your woman. If you don't, I guarantee someone else will come along and claim her. They don't make women like that these days, you know." I stared at him for two long breaths. Then I bolted. Out the back door, down the steps, barefoot on cold concrete. I had no plan except to get to her, explain I had never stopped chasing her and never would. She was on her porch, bending to pick up the keys she'd dropped. "Bea!" I yelled as I ran across the street. She didn't turn. "Beatrice!" That stopped her. She turned slowly, eyes wide under her bright porch light. She looked startled. Wrecked. So beautiful, my mind had trouble computing she was real and not some AI configuration. I ran up her porch steps, stopping in front of her. Her keys rattled in her shaking hands. Finally giving in to my instincts, I grabbed them, holding them steady between mine. "You said I stopped chasing you. I see why you thought that." She swallowed hard but said nothing. "I thought it was what you wanted. Space. Silence. Antarctica." My voice broke around the word I hated most in the world. Fuck Antarctica. "Tore-" "I want you. Still. Always. If you need time, I'll give it to you. But don't mistake my silence for indifference. Don't ever think I gave up on you." Her breath caught. "You wouldn't look at me." I shook my head. "I couldn't." "Why not?" I brought her hands to my chest, over my thundering heart. "Feel that? That's all the time when I'm with you. When I can't touch you, it physically hurts." Her tongue darted out, wetting her bottom lip. "I safe worded you." "You did." "And all this time, you were honoring Antarctica." I nodded. "Yes." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I should have known. I didn't even think-" Her eyes were wet when they opened and found mine. "I'm sorry, Salvatore. I made a mistake. What's the opposite of Antarctica?" "Death Valley." Her lips twitched into a half-smile. "Of course you'd know that." She took a shaky breath. "Okay then. Death Valley." Then she was moving, straight into me. Hands fisting in my shirt, face buried in my chest like it was the only place she could catch her breath. I wrapped my arms around her so tightly I thought I might never let go. "I didn't know how to ask you to come back." "You don't have to ask," I murmured against her hair. "And I was never leaving." Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!