I know it doesn't make sense to feel safe in his arms. I should be appalled by his touch, cringe away from his body, yet I lean into him for comfort. Maybe they finally did it—they broke my mind. The worst part is, I don’t even care, not right now at least. Right now I’m so desperate, I’ll take any kindness I can.

Even if I have no idea how long the feeling will last.

CHAPTER 29

The sun is shining by the time I open my eyes again. It hits me right away. There was no middle-of-the-night drama, no close calls with James. I never thought the idea of sleeping through the night would matter quite this much. It’s like this experience has changed everything I ever thought mattered.

I’m alone in bed, too. I don’t register Colt’s absence right away, but once I do, I look across the room, expecting him to be in the bathroom. He’s not. He must have left quietly while I was out cold. I almost wish he hadn’t, even if I’m glad I avoided the awkwardness of facing him this morning.

My eyes must be playing tricks on me. I blink hard and rub my fists over them, but the image in front of me doesn’t change.

The door is partly open.

Right away, my heart takes off at double time. Does he realize he did it? I’m afraid to hope, afraid to think this might mean something good. Maybe he only thought he closed it but didn’t all the way. Whatever the reason, I’m not going to let an opportunity slip through my fingers.

I hop out of bed as quietly as I can, then exercise just as much care in pulling jeans and a T-shirt from my dresser without making a sound. As soon as I’m dressed, I tiptoe out into the hall, listening for any voices. It’s past eight o’clock, so it’s not early enough that I can hope everybody’s still asleep. James is probably up and around somewhere. I guess he eventually has to get back to the office, even if he is supposed to be on his honeymoon right now.

I can’t help but remember the women at the rehearsal dinner. The way they all looked at him like he was some big prize. They didn’t even bother to hide their interest, even with him standing arm in arm with the woman he was marrying the following day.

I wonder what they would think of him if they knew what he’s really like.