Read Online Edge of Forever by Taryn Elliott - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Taryn Elliott
Tags: When You're Gone series
Ads: Link
the consequences.
Ego.
Pride.
Love.
An unholy trinity that had ended in ashes.
She looked up at him. This man she’d promised forever to. Why did they get to keep their forever when someone so much more deserving had it stolen away?
He stopped them in front of the elevator. He eased her other hand out of her pouch pocket and drew her in front of him. Her gaze dropped to their fingers. His were scarred with little white slashes from his guitars and a star-scatter of freckles over his knuckles and top of his hand.
Hers scarred with a kiss of fire.
They didn’t belong together.
He brought both of them up to his mouth. Brushed his lips over them.
She curled them back, but he held her firmly.
“Do you want to say goodbye?”
She didn’t look at him above the neck. The ginger swirls of his heavy scruff blurred. Goodbye.
No.
She couldn’t do goodbye.
She swallowed down the tears.
“Do you want to see Adam?”
Her gaze flicked all the way up this time. Sad eyes. No judgment lay there. She could walk away and he would allow her to.
She dragged a deep breath in and nodded.
“They’re moving him to long term care in a few days.” He let go of one of her hands to tap the down arrow. When the doors opened, he stood in front of the sensor to let her shuffle in.
Her arm brushed against the solid heat of his chest and she shrank away. He followed her into the elevator, twisting their fingers so he laced them backwards. Her palm covered the top of his hand and his pinkie grazed the side of her hand.
She tightened her grip as tingles skittered along her nerve endings before she shook him free. She moved to the railing and leaned, her breathing a little labored. This was more walking and moving than she’d done in days.
It wasn’t because he was touching her again.
She jammed her hands back into her pouch pocket and stepped off before he could hold the door for her.
“Left,” he said simply.
She did her shuffle walk down the corridor. Her ribs were starting to remind her that all her bones were connected. Each step mixed with a breath and that shifted the three ribs that had cracked.
“Iz?”
She waved him off.
“Room nine.”
The room was glass. The door was open.
She hovered at the corner of the glass panel, her palm pressed there. His curls were gone. One side of his head was shaved, but otherwise he was pristine.
On the outside.
What was going on inside his head?
Was it similar to hers when she’d still been gone?
Or was he dreaming of Nic?
Dreaming of the children they’d been trying to conceive?
She closed her eyes against the wash of tears that dripped down her cheeks and the harsh sob that seemed to be on the fringes of everything she did.
“How dare you.”
Logan stepped in front of her. “Mrs. Wolfe, we just wanted to—”
“You don’t get to be here. You are the reason he’s in here.” Lydia advanced out into the hall. Her grief-stricken eyes were wild.
Bella lifted her chin and stepped out of Logan’s shadow. She swiped her tears away. She tried to grasp the words pinging around in her brain.
I’m sorry.
It’s my fault.
I would trade places with either of them, I promise.
She could only shake her head.
“Mrs. Wolfe, she just wanted to see him before we left.”
Lydia raised her hand as anger and hate lashed through her. Logan took the blow. The slap echoed in the hall and nurses came running.
Bella stumbled back and her ribs took the edge of the windowed enclosure. She went down on her knees as white-hot pain melted into black spots.
Logan shook his head and spun in a crouch, his arms hovering around her, but not touching her.
The shuddering cry mixed with the sob sitting on her chest.
She wanted to lean on him.
He was there—so big and so strong.
But she didn’t let herself.
She took the pain.
Shook through the pain.
The nurses led Lydia out of the hallway. She was crying hysterically, demanding that they leave.
Bella sobbed because she couldn’t
Ego.
Pride.
Love.
An unholy trinity that had ended in ashes.
She looked up at him. This man she’d promised forever to. Why did they get to keep their forever when someone so much more deserving had it stolen away?
He stopped them in front of the elevator. He eased her other hand out of her pouch pocket and drew her in front of him. Her gaze dropped to their fingers. His were scarred with little white slashes from his guitars and a star-scatter of freckles over his knuckles and top of his hand.
Hers scarred with a kiss of fire.
They didn’t belong together.
He brought both of them up to his mouth. Brushed his lips over them.
She curled them back, but he held her firmly.
“Do you want to say goodbye?”
She didn’t look at him above the neck. The ginger swirls of his heavy scruff blurred. Goodbye.
No.
She couldn’t do goodbye.
She swallowed down the tears.
“Do you want to see Adam?”
Her gaze flicked all the way up this time. Sad eyes. No judgment lay there. She could walk away and he would allow her to.
She dragged a deep breath in and nodded.
“They’re moving him to long term care in a few days.” He let go of one of her hands to tap the down arrow. When the doors opened, he stood in front of the sensor to let her shuffle in.
Her arm brushed against the solid heat of his chest and she shrank away. He followed her into the elevator, twisting their fingers so he laced them backwards. Her palm covered the top of his hand and his pinkie grazed the side of her hand.
She tightened her grip as tingles skittered along her nerve endings before she shook him free. She moved to the railing and leaned, her breathing a little labored. This was more walking and moving than she’d done in days.
It wasn’t because he was touching her again.
She jammed her hands back into her pouch pocket and stepped off before he could hold the door for her.
“Left,” he said simply.
She did her shuffle walk down the corridor. Her ribs were starting to remind her that all her bones were connected. Each step mixed with a breath and that shifted the three ribs that had cracked.
“Iz?”
She waved him off.
“Room nine.”
The room was glass. The door was open.
She hovered at the corner of the glass panel, her palm pressed there. His curls were gone. One side of his head was shaved, but otherwise he was pristine.
On the outside.
What was going on inside his head?
Was it similar to hers when she’d still been gone?
Or was he dreaming of Nic?
Dreaming of the children they’d been trying to conceive?
She closed her eyes against the wash of tears that dripped down her cheeks and the harsh sob that seemed to be on the fringes of everything she did.
“How dare you.”
Logan stepped in front of her. “Mrs. Wolfe, we just wanted to—”
“You don’t get to be here. You are the reason he’s in here.” Lydia advanced out into the hall. Her grief-stricken eyes were wild.
Bella lifted her chin and stepped out of Logan’s shadow. She swiped her tears away. She tried to grasp the words pinging around in her brain.
I’m sorry.
It’s my fault.
I would trade places with either of them, I promise.
She could only shake her head.
“Mrs. Wolfe, she just wanted to see him before we left.”
Lydia raised her hand as anger and hate lashed through her. Logan took the blow. The slap echoed in the hall and nurses came running.
Bella stumbled back and her ribs took the edge of the windowed enclosure. She went down on her knees as white-hot pain melted into black spots.
Logan shook his head and spun in a crouch, his arms hovering around her, but not touching her.
The shuddering cry mixed with the sob sitting on her chest.
She wanted to lean on him.
He was there—so big and so strong.
But she didn’t let herself.
She took the pain.
Shook through the pain.
The nurses led Lydia out of the hallway. She was crying hysterically, demanding that they leave.
Bella sobbed because she couldn’t
Similar Books
