Was this a gentle way of indicating he was rethinking our relationship? My heart almost stopped at that. It couldn’t be. Carter didn’t do gentle. He was determined and passionate. When he had something to say, he didn’t mince words. But maybe he made exceptions....

I didn’t doubt that Carter loved me, but maybe he hadn’t counted on my intrusive nature. Maybe once that side of me became too obvious, he realized it overshadowed the happiness I brought him. Had I been too suffocating?

I sank onto Peyton’s bed, hugging her teddy bear. It smelled of cherries, just like Peyton, and brought a small smile to my lips. My heart was heavy, though, and my mind full of questions and insecurities.

All I could see were my piles of stuff spread out everywhere. They weighed even me down. When I stood up from the bed, I swayed a little, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

I didn’t even know where to start packing. I started in our bedroom, before remembering some of the things I’d thrown around in the living room. And all those shoes in the foyer... I’d forgotten about them. I made a mental inventory of what I’d have to pack for the trip.

As I looked around the bedroom again, my heart was beating so fast, I feared it was going to jump out of my chest.

Then I decided I was going to gather all my things, just in case Carter needed his territory back and hadn’t wanted to hurt my feelings by saying it.

My limbs felt heavy as I dragged myself around the house, picking up clothes and random possessions. My eyes were burning, and my entire chest felt as if I was being squeezed by a tight corset.

I stopped by the office to sign the papers, and before leaving I descended to the lab. My head chemist was still there.

“Nicole, if you need any input, you can always call me.”

Nicole shook her head. “I’ll survive three days on my own. But, before you go, I do have some goodies for you.”

She showed me two small vials, then sprayed a puff from each on a paper tester.

“Newly concocted today.”

I held them to my nose, and immediately wanted to hug her.

“You so deserve a raise. These are fantastic.”

“See? I can handle things around here without you. Now go, have fun.”

Nicole handed me the vials, and I pocketed them before leaving. Sampling was one of my favorite things to do in the world, but even that wasn’t enough to keep my worry from spiraling into panic as I headed home. I needed to drop off there the stuff I’d packed that I wasn’t taking on the trip.

I took a cab to LAX, wishing my sisters could join me tonight, even though I wasn’t brave enough yet to share my fears with them.