My lungs started burning.
For over a week, Knight hadn’t returned my calls. At first, this was unsurprising. It happened often, he was a busy guy. Then it got kind of annoying.
Then it hurt.
He knew Creed took off a few days ago to get back to life in Phoenix and prepare for me to join him there.
He knew I didn’t like to be separated from Creed.
He knew that tomorrow, I was climbing in my ‘Vette and driving away from Denver and everything that meant whole worlds to me.
Including him.
Now he was standing in the dark, h*ps against his superior, high performance vehicle and I knew his eyes were on me.
I started to move toward him but saw his head in the streetlamp shake once and I stopped dead.
We stood there staring at each other through the lights illuminating the parking lot and we did this for some time.
Finally, Knight pushed away from his car, turned and opened the door.
He was beginning to fold his long body inside when I shouted, “Bottom of my soul!”
I heard his door slam, the car purred to life and then he shot around in a tight circle, stopped with the driver’s door beside me, his window down.
He looked out and said softly, “Bottom of mine, Sylvie.”
Then the window whirled up and he purred away.
Total badass.
Total cool.
Totally f**king sweet.
I went to my girl, opened her up, slid in and rested my forehead on the steering wheel.
Creed had wanted to come up, be with me while I said my good-byes, ride with me on the way down. I told him he needed to get back to his life, his kids and I wouldn’t be far behind but I would be okay without him.
I was wrong.
I sucked in breath, lifted my head, started her up and headed to Charlene’s were I was sleeping on the couch because my house was empty.
* * * * *
The next day, early…
I stood in the back room of my house, Adam leaned heavily into my side.
I hated my house.
I loved this room.
I had Creed for the second time in this room (and a few other times too).
I saw his tat for the first time in this room.
And right then, I was standing with a little boy I loved so much it hurt leaning into my side in this room.