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“You know what? Forget it,” he grates out.

And for a moment, I want to throw his own words right back at him.

“Don’t do that, Easton. Say what you want to say.”

But I’m not sure I want to hear what he’s not letting himself voice.

“I’m not taking any chances that I won’t finish,” I fire back before focusing my attention on my notes once again, ignoring the pang of anxiety settling in the center of my chest—the one that lingers just under the surface that I might not achieve my goals.

I’m so engrossed in my task that I barely register the moment I close my eyes for longer than a second because the next thing I’m aware of is Easton carrying me in his arms back to our bedroom.

“Easton…”

“Shh,” he whispers as he lays me down on my side of the bed.

“What happened?”

Pushing my hair from my face, he smiles down at me, but the smile is tight. “You fell asleep at the table.”

“I—I did?”

“Yeah. I don’t know how long you were out before I realized it, but you looked uncomfortable.”

Blinking myself awake, I stare up at him. “I don’t even remember laying my head down.”

“Maybe next time you’ll listen to me when I tell you to rest.” Leaning forward, he presses a kiss to my forehead, lingering there for a few seconds. “Go to sleep.”

I know I should get up to brush my teeth, but this bed feels too good. My eyes start to close again. “I’m so tired.”

“You’re growing a human, Lennon. That’s exhausting work.”

“Uh-huh,” I mumble before sleep takes me under once again.

But this time, when I wake up in the morning, Easton is gone and he didn’t even say goodbye to me like he usually does.

Chapter 14

Easton

Admitting the Truth to Myself

“What the fuck are you doing?” My voice echoes as I rip the wrench out of Cory’s hand.

“Sorry, boss. I just…”

Grumbling, I cut him off. “I swear, if I want something done right, I have to do it myself.” Twisting the bolt so tight it might snap, I channel all of my frustration into the mounting bracket that holds the guy wires to the pole.

Jake’s hand comes down on my arm right before I feel the wood give way under my hand. “Hey, Easton. It’s good, man.”

“We can’t mess this up,” I grate out, turning the wrench one more time for good measure.

Jake pulls me back by my shoulder. “All right. You’re done.”

I stand up tall and meet his gaze as I realize how out of control I feel. “Fuck.”

Jake slaps my shoulder twice. “Go take a break. Let me help Cory finish this.”

I hand him the wrench and trudge to my truck, ripping the door open before dropping into the driver’s seat. My leg bounces as I grip the steering wheel and fight to get my racing pulse under control.