“Finally, he slipped his arms around her too.
Her eyes closed in relief.
“I was thinking,” His voice rumbled against her ear. “That I’ve brought you so much trouble after everything you’ve done for me. Maybe it’s not too late to fix it. If I leave…”
“No!” She pulled away and looked up into his face. It was swollen red around one eye and his nose. Brown flecks of paint marred the blue swirls. “That’s not going to solve
anything.”
He stroked the side of her face, his thumb lingering across her lips. “If I leave, it will be better.”
“Not for me.” Tears welled at the corners of her eyes and she blinked them away.
He gathered her close again, kissing the top of her head and rubbing his hand on her back. “Don’t cry. ”
When Sarah thought about it later, she would realize that he had never added, “I’ll stay.”