A sound broke out of me—half laugh, half sob. He caught it, froze, then his smile softened even further.
“You thought I’d gone,” he murmured, reading me the way no one should be able to.
I couldn’t deny it. My silence was enough.
His jaw tightened, but instead of defending himself, he only sat down on the edge of the bed, careful to keep the tray steady. “I don’t run from people who need me, Sammy. I’m not built that way. And sure as hell I don’t run from my mate. If I could glue you to my hip without freaking you out I think I would have already done it”
The words went straight to the hollow in my chest, filled it until I was afraid I might burst.
We ate breakfast together, though “together” felt like an exaggeration. He ate with an appetite that was almost comforting, filling the si
