“Did Steele come back yet?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Not yet. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
“Where is Dallas?” she asked, looking around the room. “Did he leave too?”
I draped the blanket over her and tucked her in. I nodded toward the patio. “He’s still here. Just stepped outside for a few moments.”
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
I turned to rejoin Dallas on the patio until Cassidy stopped me.
“Lay down with me?” she asked. “Just for a little bit?”
I faced her and smiled wide. She laughed as I slowly crawled onto the bed. Once I reached the head of the bed, I flipped to my back and settled in close. She curled into me and rested her head on my chest.
She smelled like spice. Moroccan oil, I believed. Her skin carried a hint of vanilla.
I breathed in deep the smell of her and closed my eyes. Committing each scent she carried to memory.
Within minutes, her breathing evened out, and my heart started to ache. For the longest time, I watched her sleep and memorized the shape of her mouth, the curve of her eyebrows, the shape of her nose, the brightness of the color of her hair.
I then brushed away a strand of her golden tassels from her face with the tip of my finger. Her lips stretched into a soft curve. I planted a kiss to the top of her head and held her closer, wishing this wasn’t possibly the last time I would ever get the chance to hold her again.
The door to the room opened and then whispered closed. Steele appeared into view a few breaths later. He nodded as his gaze met mine. Then he took in Cassidy’s sleeping form. He kept his voice low as he asked, “How long has she been out?”
“Not very long,” I said, keeping my voice quiet. “Ten minutes at most.”
Dallas stepped back into the room. He sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets before leaning against the wall. His eyes focused on Cassidy.
All three of us became lost in the image of her.
“I’m going to miss that mouth of hers,” Dallas said. “The way she smiled. The way her lips perked when she’s angry. The way she said words.”
“You’re such the poet,” I muttered.
Dallas smirked. “But it is poetic, isn’t it? Think about it.”
“I’m going to miss her intelligence,” Steele said. “The way her mind worked. It is almost like a work of art. A symphony.”
“A concert,” Dallas added.
“I’m going to miss all of her,” I said. “Every single bit of her.”
“I can’t believe this is the last night we’re going to have her,” Dallas said.
“She’s going to leave a huge hole between the three of us. That’s for sure,” Steel said, sitting backwards in a chair. “We owe her everything.”
“Yes, we do,” Dallas agreed.
I shook my head. My breath’s turned ragged as the idea of her leaving hit a little harder. “I can’t.”
“I wish there was something we could do to change her mind,” Steele said. “I wished there was some way to convince her to stay.”
“Or come back at the very least,” Dallas added.
I shook my head and carefully pulled myself from her. Tears stabbed at my eyes as my heart threatened to break apart. “No. I can’t talk about this.”