It took me a second too long to realize my jaw was hanging open, because when Abraham looked back over at me, he frowned again. But I could barely focus on that.
Because inside I was having a full-blown panic attack.
My mind spun around and around, while my heart pumped painfully in my chest and my hands began to sweat.
It’s like the world stops the second you see them.
Oh no.
No, no, no, no, no.
It couldn’t be. There was no way. I wouldn’t accept it.
“You need to be with them all the time,” he continued. “When they’re around, it’s like you’re whole again. And when they’re gone too long, your body revolts. Like it’s been missing an organ for too long. You can’t eat, you can’t sleep, you can barely focus without them. The longer they’re away, the worse it is. You saw me when El used to live in Raleigh. You know what I was like.”
I did.
What I hadn’t put together until then was I’d been going through the same thing.
I’d blamed it on missing him, but that wasn’t really it, was it?
Every time Wyatt had to leave to go to Raleigh with Ellie, it got worse. The headaches, the sleepless nights, the sluggish days. I’d blamed it on everything under the sun but the one thing it actually was.
Wyatt and I were fated mates.
And I was going to throw up.
Chapter 31
Wyatt
“Mornin’ love,” were just about my favorite words to say.
Callie looked up at me and smiled that beautiful, sleepy smile before snuggling closer. And that was why I’d say that same exact expression to her every morning until the day I died.
“Morning,” she croaked.
I kissed the top of her curly head and dragged her closer. Her skin was warm as I pressed her bare chest against my own. We’d come to the agreement long ago that when we were in bed, clothes were optional. Lucky for me, she usually opted to go without.
I kissed her forehead, and both her eyelids, loving the way her pink lips curled into a smile just for me.
“You ready for today?” I asked as I rubbed circles along the length of her spine.
She let out a deep breath and nodded. “So ready. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for this day.”
I kissed her again. I honestly couldn’t help myself. “It’s been a long time comin’, but you deserve it. It’s because of your hard work and dedication that there even is an Asheville Initiative. Now you get to save the world on a larger scale.”
She smiled and closed her eyes again as my fingers trailed up and down her back. She sighed softly and I knew, right then and there, that I’d never been happier in my entire life.
“If you wanna get up and get dressed, I thought I could take you to breakfast before your first day,” I murmured into her soft hair.
She pulled back and opened one eye. “Huh?”
I smiled and shrugged. “I already borrowed Wes’ truck so I can help you bring the last of your stuff. And after breakfast, I thought you could give me a tour of your new building.”
Her eyes kept getting wider the longer I talked until they were pale blue saucers in her face. She blinked slowly and then averted her gaze. That was the first sign something wasn’t right.
“You don’t need to bring me to work. I think I can manage in my car,” she said as she carefully folded the sheets down before pulling them back up to her chest and smoothing them out again.
I frowned at her, my stomach starting to tighten with something I couldn’t name. “Okay, drive yourself then. But we can still get breakfast, right? And I still wanna see your new lab.”
She kept her eyes on her fingers as they continued to flatten out invisible wrinkles, and that feeling in my stomach intensified. “Maybe breakfast today isn’t such a good idea. I don’t want to be late.”
I looked past her to the alarm clock on her nightstand that told me we’d have plenty of time, but I shook my head and decided not to push it. “Okay, no problem. We can get breakfast another day. Can I still come by and see the place? You’ve been talking about it for ages and I’m curious.”
Callie sighed and sat up, her hands clutching the sheet to her chest as she slid out of bed. “Today’s probably not the best day to do that.”
I propped myself up on an elbow and watched as she pulled the sheet from the bed and headed toward the bathroom. “Okay, when will be a good day? I’m free all week.”
She shrugged but wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I’m not sure, Wyatt. I’ll have to see how things go.”
It was the fact that she wouldn’t look at me, wouldn’t meet my eyes that finally tipped the scales. I threw the blanket off and crawled out of her bed.
“Callie, what’s goin’ on?”
She leaned over to look at her laptop and shrugged. “Nothing’s going on. You know I’m just busy.”
“Too busy to give me a minute of your time? Too busy to look at me?”
She sighed again and finally turned around, but her eyes wouldn’t meet mine. “What are you talking about, Wyatt?”
That feeling in the pit of my stomach grew stronger, picking up steam until it was full-blown
