My Hired Boyfriend (Completed)

47. Promises

His hand stays, barely lingering to cup the line where my jaw meets my neck, his head lowering until his forehead is against mine.

"I'll die before I ever let that happen," he tells me so fiercely, with so much conviction its hard not to believe him.

A stray tears trails down my face and Coda kisses it away, his expression softening and his tone bittersweet as he adds: "Tu sei tutto per me, il mio cuore."
You are everything to me, my heart.

~*~

My eyes snap open and I quickly wipe my tears away.

There's no way I'm letting him give up so easily. Not after everything we've been through—

Opening the bathroom door, I fly down the stairs, pounding down them quickly.

"Where are you—" Jeremy begins to ask but I ignore him, wrenching the front door open after I grab his keys off the counter.

"Hazel!" Gwen exclaims as I run down the porch and into Jeremy's pick up truck.

Everyone is gathered around the porch area, watching me in bewilderment as I throw the car into reverse.

I'm not giving up. Not yet.

~*~

Even though I don't know where to look, I think of the one place Coda would probably go to clear his head.

The pickup trucks crawls slowly up the grassy hill, passing tombstone after tombstone.

Up above, the hovering willow tree sways in the wind and below it are two headstones side by side.

Leaving the truck parked near the base of the second hill, I slowly clamber out.

As I climb up the small hill, nerves start to flutter in my stomach as I stare at his hunched figure.

Even though he hears me, he doesn't turn around as I cautiously approach. Sitting down on the ground next to him, my eyes trail over the words Ridge Williams before turning to study his mother's tombstone.

My arms brush Coda's and I hear his slight intake of breath. He is ridged and his face is passive when I turn to look at him. My heart clenches tight in my chest and I have to inhale deeply in order to remind myself to breathe.

There is a slight shadowing of a beard following the line of his jaw and he looks exhausted but regardless of that, I don't think he's ever looked so handsome.

I have to clasp my hands together to keep from reaching for him. .

"What are you doing here?" he asks, his voice low and emotionless.

Pulling my knees to my chest, I inhale slowly to try to calm myself.

"I got tired of waiting," I say, my voice void of accusation. Instead of feeling angry, I feel sad and alone. I miss Coda too much to put into words.

Coda's shoulders sag, like the burden of trying to pretend to be angry is too much for him.

His eyes trace the curve of the letters on the headstone like he's trying to keep them fresh in his memory.

"I wish I died instead of them," Coda says, his voice honest,

His words bring tears to my eye but I keep them at bay, focusing on the small daisy flowers littering the grass.