There Goes My Heart (The Sullivans #20) - Bella Andre Page 0,50

carefully put away her mother’s mementos.

“After everything we talked about last night,” he said, “are you okay this morning?”

“I’m fine.” She gave him a smile that was supposed to reassure him, then carried the hope chest to her closet. But since the smile hadn’t reached her eyes, he was anything but reassured.

He tried again. “When I told you about my situation with Chelsea, the things you said to me helped a lot. But I’m not sure if anything I said last night helped you, so if you want to talk about it some more—”

“No.” The word came out sharply. She shot him an apologetic look. “You were really great last night. But I’m totally okay now.”

He wanted to believe her, wished she could magically get over fifteen years of pain overnight. But he knew better. Knew how hard it must be to always seem so bulletproof.

“Zara.” Though she held herself stiffly as he drew her against him, he didn’t let her go. “I’m here for you. If you need me, for anything, for any reason, whether we’re dating or not, I’m on your side. You know that, right?”

But he couldn’t read the expression in her eyes. He didn’t know if she doubted him or believed him. He didn’t know if she was ever going to open up to him again, or if last night was the furthest she’d ever let him into her heart. He didn’t know if their talk had helped at all, or if she was just as racked with guilt and blame as ever.

And he didn’t know if she was ever going to let herself fall for him the way he’d already fallen for her.

“I do know it,” she finally said. “Although now that we’re about to head into work—and will also see your sister and Flynn today—we should probably agree on how we’re going to deal with our co-workers and your family for the rest of the week. I’m thinking that since Brittany and Cameron won’t be there to witness us as a couple, we should just act the way we always have. I mean, if we’re all over each other, it will only make things more confusing for the people around us after we split on Saturday.”

Though he wasn’t at all surprised by her suggestion, that didn’t mean he liked it. Still, he’d already said he would never do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. “I’ll follow your lead.”

“Thanks for coming over last night, and for staying.” She gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll see you at the warehouse in a bit.”

But as she went into her bedroom to shower and change, and he headed home to do the same, he couldn’t stop wishing he knew exactly what to say, exactly what to do, to break through to Zara’s heart.

With a groan, he realized he might have to cave and ask his sisters for advice on how to properly woo Zara.

Wouldn’t they just love that?

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Zara was sluggish at the office all morning. Even though she never slept better than when she was in Rory’s arms.

She knew why, of course. Knew that it was because she’d opened up her emotional floodgates by telling him about the day her mother died.

She still couldn’t believe she’d told him the truth about the car crash. She’d never told anyone the things she’d said to her mom that afternoon—had barely even admitted them to herself.

Zara hadn’t been surprised when he’d told her it wasn’t her fault. What she was surprised by, however, was his vow to help her recover from her grief and shed her guilt.

No one but Rory Sullivan would have dared make such bold, confident claims. So bold and so confident that a part of her couldn’t help but want to believe he might be able to pull it off.

The sound of a baby’s laughter from down the hall had her pushing away from her drafting table with no small measure of relief. The last thing she wanted today was to be alone with her thoughts. And while she wasn’t sure she was much more comfortable being with Rory—not when he now knew what a complete and total mess she was—she was very much looking forward to spending some time with Ruby.

Few things cheered Zara like time with little kids. Their sweetness, their innocence, their laughter were all a balm to her soul. Zara couldn’t stand the thought of her sadness touching any part of Ruby, so she vowed to do whatever it took to tamp down