Telephone. Computer… Home.

  She stayed at home? She hadn’t been leaving?

  “Anyway, I’m sorry to bother you. I hope I haven’t ruined your day.”

  “Oh, no,” I said, waving the air, on autopilot. “No harm done.”

  “Good, good. Well you have a good rest of the day, Mr. Chandler. And please give Roxie my love.”

  “Of course.”

  The phone silenced in my ear, the call ended when I lowered my phone. I stood, hearing my guys laughing and chatting at the front of the shop. I stepped out of the fitting room, trying to think, trying to walk, but my steps were distracted in my attempts to make sense of the phone call I just had. They didn’t make sense. Roxie never told me she hadn’t been seeing Troy. What were her reasons she said to him? Time? How so?

  I stopped walking. I saw no point as I was distracted. I tapped through my phone to call Roxie, and I don’t know, just talk to her I guess. Upon lifting my gaze, my fingers stopped though. My pop stood there, leaning back against the door of a fitting room stall across from me.

  “Pop?” I asked, lowering my phone. “Did they get you all set up okay? Fitted and all that?”

  Staring down at the floor, he moved a hand over his mouth and I wondered how much he heard of my conversation. He was standing right there. Only paces away.

  His gaze lifted now, from the floor. “When was the last time you saw Roxie, Griff?” he asked me, making my brow jump. “I mean, really saw her.”

  He’d ask me this before, this question. I didn’t wonder about it before and its context. But now?

  “Why?” I asked him, but in the back of my mind… I worried.

  He came forward, pushing his hands in his jean pockets, and I prepared myself. I prepared myself because I knew he had something to say.

  I had a feeling it was something he didn’t say last night.

  “I didn’t see her eat, Griff,” he said, shaking his head. “Not once. She, Brody, and I went out and she got a salad. One she picked at. One she packed up when we left the restaurant. For dinner that night, she cooked for us, but didn’t eat any of it. Just went to bed, and the next morning, she left so early I didn’t even see if she got something in her then. Brody said she came home saying she worked out and didn’t want to wake us. And she’s gotten thinner since I’d last seen her, Griff. Enough to definitely notice.”

  My back touched the door of the fitting room behind me. I wanted to say I leaned back, but I didn’t. I fell back as my charging heart made my legs weak.

  Made it hard to stand.

  Pop came closer and his hand made it to my shoulder, squeezing. “You got a lot going on, Griff. I get that,” he said, his lips tight in a frown. “But taking care of you and yours is priority. That little girl spends a whole lot of time by herself. And though I know she’s strong, know she’s capable, I don’t know how well she’s handling it.”

  His lips brushed feather light down my arm, his hand squeezing my forearm, my hip. He kissed there next, my hip, his finger dipping into the elastic where panties met waist so he could. He pulled the material down just slightly, but not to undress me. Only to keep kissing me as he made his way to my calf, my ankle. A laugh escaped my lips when his mouth made contact with toes.

  I had so many dreams like this. Griffin here, kissing me until I woke up to be with him.

  “Wake up for me, baby,” he’d always say. Then his lips would kiss their way back up, over my hip and then my waist until finally they touched my shoulder.

  They touched my shoulder like they did now.

  The set of lips sent a soft heat humming over my cheek and my heart clenched. The dreams always did feel so real, didn’t they? But in the end, they never were. I supposed during the day it was easier to fight how much I missed him, but when I went to sleep, the fight wasn’t as easy.

  “Wake up for me, baby,” came his voice again, his hand squeezing my shoulder. “Wake up. I’m here.”

  Warmth touched my mouth, his lips, and his fingers formed at the base of my neck, guiding me into them. It all felt so real, I opened my eyes, but then I close them, giving in to the kiss as I found my way. As I made it back to him. He lowered my head and I opened them again, my eyes. I was greeted with a light blue set staring back at me, his, the tone an azure like an abyss of never-ending sky.

  Those full lips of his moved to the side, the brown freckle on his upper lip going with them. I loved that freckle. I loved him.

  “Griffin,” I said, moving my arms around his neck. I didn’t know when the dream became real. But honestly, I didn’t care. Not at all.

  Long arms encircled my waist and he pulled me with him to his back, laughing. He held me there for a moment, pushing a hand into my hair, and then he lifted his head up, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked him, sleep drunk as his mouth warmed mine. I saw his schedule. He wasn’t supposed to come home for at least a few days.

  “I took some time off. The rest of the week and next. Really, however long we want,” he said. He pulled away, but only just slightly, as his lips remained a kiss away. He touched them to my mouth again, resting a large hand on my bottom. “I needed to be with you. You weren’t with me.”

  It was such a simple thing for him to say, but I felt those words everywhere. Deep down to my core. I smiled against his lips. “I missed you,” I told him, admitting that to him. But really, I couldn’t hold the fact in even if I wanted to. I didn’t want to. I did miss him. I did need him too.

  He only warmed my lips once more. Like they couldn’t stop or refused. “I missed you too.”

  I could feel that. He squeezed me so hard, loving me just the same. He moved lips across my cheek, chasing them to my ear. “I drew you a bath. After you’re done, come out to the kitchen. I’m making breakfast for you.”

  I rubbed his nose with mine. It hurt to smile this much. “Come with me,” I told him, repeating something he said to me only recently. But he pulled away.

  Staring into my eyes, he pressed a hand to my cheek, his thumb to my bottom lip. He shook his head. “No. This is just for you, okay? Do that for me? It’s your day today.”

  I tried not to stare at her when she came into the room after her shower, to make it seem too obvious all I’d seen when I first came into our bedroom. The blankets had fallen away while she slept, her leg exposed. Pulling the comforter more, I saw more. I saw her, and how much she really had changed. It seemed so obvious now.

  “Enough to definitely notice,” my dad had said.

  Why hadn’t I noticed? How much weight she truly did lose? It all seemed to come at me in a crushing wave, a blow that knocked the wind clear out of me all at once. Especially when she came into the kitchen, her body wrapped tight in a long robe. I couldn’t see her legs the robe was so long, hell her hands either, as she had the terry cloth pulled and held under her fingertips, her neck wrapped up to just under her chin.

  Sitting on a chair at the kitchen island, she grinned up at me as I made her breakfast at the stove adjacent to her.

  I grinned too, trying not to force it. In the end, I found it hard and took a moment to gaze back to the skillet and flip an egg. They say hindsight is twenty-twenty. Well, I had never encountered a point that rang more true. She was doing it even now, covering herself up in her long robe, and the reality of the last time I had seen her body shook me to the core. I’d approached her in a room that night, a dark room. I’d made love to her, yes, but the room had also been dark. She kept it that way. Like she’d been hiding in it or self-conscious. And then, the next morning? A blanket wrapped around her even while I touched her…

  “I’m glad you’re home.”

  My eyes flashed to her perfect lips, upturned and beautiful in her smile. I managed my own, a smile. Yes, she had lost weight, but I didn’t necessarily know if that was something to be alarmed about yet. She had told me she was trying to get in shape, so I couldn’t jump to conclusions. Not just yet until I was sure.

  I bent my body over the bar, warming that perfect mouth of hers in a chaste kiss.

  “I’m glad too,” I told her, and I didn’t have to make myself smile then, not with Roxie, not when I touched her mouth with mine. I pulled away, tapping her nose before going back to the skillet. “Did you enjoy your bath?”

  She pushed her shoulders up, rubbing her arms up and down with her hands. Was she okay? Or was she just cold?

  Cool it, Chandler. Cool it. Stop freaking.

  “I would have enjoyed it better if you’d been there,” she said, grinning again. “But other than that it was ‘aight, I guess.”

  This was the Roxie I knew, nothing but lighthearted and witty. Those were only a couple of the things that attracted me to her, drew me and wrapped me up in the essence of her. I tossed her a wink over my shoulder. Pivoting, I took the frying pan and scooped out eggs onto two plates I already had out in front of her. “Hopefully these make up for that a little,” I said, finishing off her plate and moving to mine. “I kept these simple. I didn’t know exactly what you wanted in them.”

  “I guess I’ll take my consolation prize,” she said, winking this time. “Can you get the juice out of the fridge?”

  My lips lifted into smile. Anything for her. I found the juice right away, trying to ignore the fact it wasn’t the same juice she usually bought.

  “You diabetic now?” I asked her, pouring her a glass of the foreign, sugar-free drink. I kept the question light. Again, trying not to be too obvious.

  I got another one of those Roxie shrugs, her lips forming to the glass and taking a long draw before putting it down. “Just trying to get more healthy.”

  “Ah,” I paused, sliding onto the chair next to hers. I bumped her shoulder. “Well, I got some plans in store for us later today, so I hope you can cheat a little.”

  Her eyes rolled at me, joking in their nature, and she picked up her fork. I’d just picked up mine and accidentally locked up, lost in watching her. Her fork moving around her plate, she scooped up some of the fluffy eggs, not a hefty portion, but she did get some. Her gaze fastened to me as she lifted the eggs to her mouth, giving a small smile, and I turned away, feeling really dumb for what I was doing here. I really needed to chill. This was Roxie.

  I knew her.

  “How did Mickey react when you told him you were taking the week off?”

  I smirked over my own mouthful of eggs. “He was fine, but Rich shit a brick like you’d imagine.” I got a smile for that one, a small cute one. “But it’s not like I care. I needed time off. I haven’t gotten to see you much and I was feeling that.”

  The smile went wider. She pushed an arm around mine and I kissed her head when she leaned into me. She scooped some eggs in a quick swoop, and did eat some. But not much. Not much at all. She looked up at me over her tiny bite. “Did you go to your fitting? See your brothers and dad?”

  My stomach turned at the bird-like way she was eating, but I tried not to let that reflect. I smiled. “I did see them and everything went okay.” I left out the part that I needed to reschedule my own fitting.

  That I’d hopped a plane to her right after seeing my dad and talking to him.

  I made up some excuse to leave and the guys all understood. Roxie was priority. Everything else was second. I may have overreacted, but I couldn’t just go on about my day without knowing for sure. Knowing with absolute certainty that the woman I loved was indeed okay.

  And so I smiled again. “D and Ryan even showed up. It was great.” I didn’t get to see them long, but it had been nice while I had. As I said, I would reschedule everything at a later date without her having to worry about anything.

  I watched her eat up a few more scoops until the two eggs on the plate I made her trumped the size of the five I made for myself. They trumped them because I scarfed most of mine, hers a mountainous glob as she barely touched them.

  She put her fork down, and after letting out a breath, I made myself continue my meal. Exchanging my fork to my left, I relieved a hand, placing one on hers while I ate with the other. She was clearly done eating, her head rested softly on my shoulder while she watched me. A smile to her lips, she sat silently, waiting out the time it took me to finish my breakfast while she let hers get cold. After a while, I lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to her ring. It was a ring I once gave her when everything about us I believed to be perfect. Had that been so long ago?

  When everything had been so perfect?

  My lips lifted from her skin and her hand slid to my cheek. She stared up at me, tilting her head. Perhaps, she wondered about my thoughts. Perhaps something else.

  I pushed my lips to her forehead, not wanting to alarm her with them for now. “Get dressed,” I told her. “I have plans for us. Plans for you.”

  She left me there in the kitchen, and only when she cleared it, did I place my hands over my face, rub my mouth. My heart clenched and a searing bile burned into away up my throat from a turning stomach. I felt shredded inside. I felt like a failure. Like I failed her. I told myself I’d always see her.

  So when had I lost her?

  Griffin’s warm hands over my eyes guided my way. This made for an interesting walk downstairs, and his “plans” started with quite an interesting surprise. His hands lifted and the underground parking lot of our complex met my eyes, but neither of our cars.

  He went over to a silver Mercedes, vintage with polished hubcaps. He spun the keys around his long finger, palming them with a grin. “Our chariot awaits,” he said, going over to open the door for me.

  And so the dream began again.

  He drove us through the city, his arm wrapped around me under the morning sun. The corporate conglomerate of Miami was our backdrop for only moments. Eventually, we passed the large buildings, the busily tourists, and even the main roads. We went out to the interstate, which roads took us even farther. The beach traveled alongside us, the wide Atlantic kissing the shore with guidance from the wind, and the ocean air wrapped around me like something else. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wished I had since moving to the city, but here, now, with Griffin I got to do that. He kept me close under his arm, never far and I soon fell into sleep. It was something about his warmth and soft, sweet scent he held. He was all consuming, masculine in all the perfect ways of a man. A tap on my shoulder didn’t wake me up that day. No, that wasn’t how Griffin did things.

  He kissed my fingers, each one threaded between his large ones, and when I opened my eyes we were moving, but not by his hands. They weren’t on the wheel. They were with me.

  I sat up in the car, other cars parked around us, and the bellow of a deep horn touched my ear. Rushing water surrounded me, and the source of the horn came to fruition.

  Because we were on it.

  Blue and bright white, the mass of a ferry sailed our little Mercedes through clear water, puffing smoking along the away.

  I faced Griffin, seeing his sly grin.

  He simply shrugged, lowering my hand from his mouth, but he didn’t let go. His and mine both went into his lap. He wore tan pants today and a nice button up shirt rolled at the sleeves. That should have been my first indicator we were doing something interesting. He was showboating, trying all hard and stuff.

  I crossed my arms, shaking my head with a smile. “Where are we going?”

  Again another shrug. He opened his door, but didn’t let go of my hand until he absolutely hand to, and even still, he made it right back. After coming around and letting me out, he had me with him again, guiding me under his arm while he took me to the railings of the ferry.

  I rested on it, allowing the wind to pull through my hair. The salty breeze touched my face and the day made for clear skies, other boaters taking advantage of it on the ocean surrounding us. I never had such an experience before. But then again, everyday with Griffin was a new experience for me, a wonderful one.

  He brought his arms around me, holding me tight, and his chest warmed my back. He sure was close today, but I didn’t mind. I relished in every moment, knowing our time together was always limited.

  His fingers tugged my shawl, revealing my peasant top with the wide neck underneath. At the first sight of bare skin, his lips touched down and I melted in more ways than one. Our white and blue ferry cut through the water, taking us farther and farther away from the beach, and we stayed in our close position, his arms formed snuggly around me. “I love you,” he told me so many times, but only in our special way. He told me with his fingers on my arm. He told me with his mouth on my body, on my neck, my cheek, and I said it back too. He couldn’t really see me at the angle we were at, but I mouthed it anyway. That was just our way.

  We were back on the road in too short of time, but not to head home. The ferry took us to an island just off the coast, a large one with rustic looking buildings and fancy resorts. Griffin drove past them all, more driving with his hand on the wheel and the other holding mine. And so I tried bugging him again about our plans.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked, tossing my apple core in a plastic bag. There’d been a snack bar on the ferry. Griffin had bought a bunch of stuff and told me to take my pick of the lot as we drove.

  I sat up and found Griffin’s eyes on me, the bag. I caught him doing that a lot today, his gaze and hands on me. As I said, he was close today. Never far.

  He smiled, his blond locks feathering in the wind as he faced the road. “I can’t keep anything a surprise, can I?”

  He could but he didn’t usually. Deciding to play his game, I kept silent the rest of the way into the drive. The canopy of palm trees above blocked the sun as we pushed into the island, our little Mercedes and us. Griffin made a call on the way, one he tried to keep light and discrete, but I did catch a, “Just confirming everything is all set.”

  And so his surprises continued.

  Deep into the abyss of Miami’s bright greenery, we left the resorts and even the main roads. Once again, we were in our own little world and soon that world led to a cobblestone path, a small running fountain spitting water through the air in the middle or it. Driving past it, we took the road up to a house, a cottage actually with white brick and a terra cotta roof the color of a coral reef. And so I faced Griffin once again, my eyebrow raised.