“I guess I’m your dreamcatcher as much as you’re mine.”
Harlow’s smile relaxed me until I couldn’t stop yawning.
“We could take a nap,” Harlow said, nuzzling my throat. “I want you to stay for dinner, but my mom won’t be home for hours. The house is quiet and Jace usually naps during the day since he has trouble sleeping in the dark. Are you hungry?”
“Nope. Grabbed food on the drive. You haven’t eaten though.”
“I’m not hungry,” she said, standing up. “Let me show you my room.”
I took her hand and followed her to the house, past the couch where Jace dozed, and down the hallway to her bedroom. The walls were a pale blue and family pictures covered each one. A hanging shelf was filled with more pictures and a Big Bird doll.
Harlow noticed me eyeing her doll. “My shrink gave it to me when I got to Ellsberg. It’s a focal point. When I’d freak out, she told me to focus on the doll and not what was upsetting me.”
“Did it work?”
“Not really. Winnie’s doll helped her more, but I keep Big Bird to remember how much I’ve grown.”
I said nothing, only nodding and studying the room. I ran my hand over the comforter on the bed she slept in every night for years. Checked out the too small closet with her clothes jutting out along with a dresser with drawers half open. The room reminded me of everything I loved about Harlow. She was messy in her organized way. She liked earth colors and surrounded herself with reminders of those who loved her.
Harlow closed the bedroom door except for a crack. She turned to me with tired eyes and forced a smile.
“When Winnie and Dylan stayed overnight last month, they had to keep the door open a little. The house rule is the only people who get lucky here are Mom and Dad.”
I smiled softly. “No doubt my parents will have a similar rule when we visit.”
Harlow’s eyes lit up at the mention of meeting my family. She still expected me to bail on her. I didn't know what needed to happen to gain her trust. All I knew was I needed this woman.
My hands were in her hair before I realized I’d moved. Harlow flinched, yet softened when my lips met hers.
“I missed you,” I murmured, shuffling her back until we reached the bed. “The world is fucking cold away from you.”
Harlow didn’t speak. My hunger frightened her. She was even trembling while her hands slid under my shirt.
“I’m not leaving this town unless you come with me.”
“Okay,” she whispered against my lips. “I felt like I was falling apart when you were gone. Food tasted like shit. Everyone got on my nerves. I’m obsessed.”
“I missed you,” I said again, unable to think of the right words
Harlow nodded, but she didn’t truly understand my desperation. “I can’t go back to the way I was,” I stammered. “I never realized how much weight I felt on my shoulders. How much tension I held in my body. I worked out so much to get rid of that feeling. With you, I can relax. I can breathe. Do you understand?”
“You love me,” she said softly.
“It’s more than that. Men can fall in and out of love. It’s like the flu, burning hot in the beginning then tapering off. Love can end, but my need for you isn't temporary. You're my salvation. I can’t exist away from you.”
I was dumping a whole lot of desperation on a fragile nineteen-year-old woman. Though tough on the outside, still assumed bad things would happen. Around every corner was the ugliness she left behind. This was why she expected me to find someone better. I was too good to last. I felt the same way about her.
Relaxing on the bed, Harlow let my words sink in. She pulled a comforter over us before cuddling against me.
“How long do you think you’ll stay in Ellsberg?” she asked.
“As long as you’re here. I told you that.”
“What I mean is how long before you’ll get restless staying here?”
I studied her face and understood the question behind her question. “I’m on vacation, so there’s no hurry.”
“Where will we go afterwards?”
“I'm planning on starting a security company in Texas. Houston is a big city and we’d blend in.”
Harlow could barely keep her eyes open. “What will I do? Answer the phones?”
“If you want to. Or you can sit on your ass back at home. Or become a veterinarian. I don’t care what you do as long as you’re happy. In Texas, I'll keep teaching you everything I know about killing and hiding and reading situations. I’m not done training you, grasshopper.”
Harlow smiled and her eyelids closed. “You came back.”
“Yeah, I broke a few speed limits too.”
Harlow’s smile widened. I felt her dozing off, exhausted after worrying and waiting for me. The last few days wiped me out too and I didn’t take long to follow Harlow into sleep.