The Secret Read Online Free PDF Page B

strands away from her face. “Do you want to stay little longer?”
    “I don’t know,” she says, letting out a long sigh before covering her face with her hands. “This is so overwhelming, Chase.”
    “I know, Baby,” I say, cuppi ng her cheek and moving closer to let her rest her face on my chest. “I can’t imagine what’s going through your head right now.”
    “ I don’t even know what’s going on in my head right now,” she admits, pulling away slightly to face me. After holding my eyes for a minute, she lets out a sigh, pats my side and slides off the counter, grabbing the coffee I’d poured for her. “I’m gonna get ready to go. I need a shower and a change of clothes.”
    “Okay,” I nod, kissing her on the cheek and watching her leave the kitchen.
    I’m still standing in the same place , leaned against the counter and staring down at my coffee cup when I hear him enter.
    “Hey,” Jack says in a low voice after giving me the once over.
    “ Mornin’,” I answer, moving so he can get to the coffee pot. I’m about to walk into the other room to give him some privacy when he speaks.
    “ Is she okay?”
    “She will be,” I answer quietly, hoping it’s not a lie. 
    “Hope so,” he starts, setting the pot back in its place before turning to face me. He seems to be about to speak again when the topic of our discussion slowly rounds the corner.
    Seeing us both standing in the kitchen, she comes to a complete stop. Her eyes are slowly moving between us, likely trying to decide if we’re being civil.
    “Hey,” Jack says, smiling for the first time since he walked in.
    “Hi,” she whispers, staring at him.
    “How did you sleep?”
    “I don’t know,” she says with a shrug. “You?”
    “Same,” he answers. He glances down at the jacket she’s clenching in her hand and looks up at her , clearing his throat. “Y’all leaving?”
    “We have to go to the hotel to get our things,” she says, handing him her empty cup when he reaches for it.
    “You coming back?” he says low, turning away from us to refill her cup.
    “Yeah,” she says, fidgeting with the hem of the sweater she’s still wearing from yesterday. “Probably in an hour or two?”
    “Okay,” he nods as he faces her again, handing her the cup. “I’ll wait here for you.”
    “Thanks,” she says in a small voice. “I’ll see you later then, I guess?”
    “Yeah,” he smiles.
    I lead her from the kitchen, hating the way she hesitates. I take her coffee from her so she can pull her jacket on. Glancing back over at him for a moment, I can feel the war of emotions rolling off of her. She takes a slow step toward me before back tracking and making her way back over to him in a few quick movements, wrapping her arms around him. He gently pulls her close, returning her embrace and settling his cheek against her hair.
    “I know everything’s a mess,” she admits with a sniff. “Thank you for coming back, Jack.”
    “I told you, Soph,” he says softly. “I’ll always come back to you.”
    A small sob rocks through her frame, filling my chest with an ache like I’ve never experienced. Pulling away, she wipes her already swollen eyes and leans up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
    “I love you,” she says quickly.
    “I love you, too.”
    Giving him a small nod, she turns to face me. After taking the coffee from me, she places her shaky hand in mine and gives it a gentle squeeze.
    As we make our way to the door, she lets out an exhausted sigh and pulls the door open.
    “Shit ,” she says low when the cold air hits her, backing up to get closer to me and dulling the pain I’d been feeling only seconds ago.
    “I know ,” I let out a weak chuckle, rubbing her arms affectionately. “Fuckin’ brr, Babe.”
    As we make our way down the steps to my truck, Sophie cusses under her breath when the hee l of her boot sinks into the soft ground.
    “Come here , Gorgeous,” I say, lifting her into my arms and carrying