Page 176 of Love Unwritten
Leaving? Where?
“I love spending time with you too.” She chuckles to herself as a second goat makes a noise. “I’ll try to come back as often as possible…if he doesn’t hate me, that is.”
Is she talking about me? Why the hell would I hate her?
I’m thinking about all the ways I can spend more time with her, and this is what she is thinking about?
Nothing she’s saying makes sense, so I mentally flip through today’s sequence of events, searching for clues as to why Ellie would be talking to the animals like she plans on not coming back.
Just the other night I told her she can’t—
I can’t be his nanny forever.
Something about that statement seemed off in the moment, but I ignored it because I assumed she was talking about way down the line. Not now.
Feet shuffling in the goat’s pen, followed by their door closing and the lock sliding into place, has me stiffening. Ellie hasn’t seen me yet, so I marvel at her like she’s a work of art.
She may not be wearing a dress like on all those nights in Hawaii, but she isn’t wearing her usual leggings and hoodies either.
My heart swells with pride. Her outfit is casual, but her T-shirt and shorts carry so much meaning. It might have taken her time to become comfortable enough to do so in Nico’s and my presence, but I would have waited as long as it took for her.
“Rafa?” Her voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
“Elle.” My voice is rough and guttural.
“How long have you been standing there?”
I push away from one of the barn’s support columns. “Long enough.”
I don’t have all the facts, but I’ve gathered enough to know she owes me a few answers.
Her face pales. “Oh.”
I drag my eyes away, hoping it eases the ache in my chest. “Are you quitting?”
She bites on the inside of her cheek. “Maybe we should go inside the house—”
“Just tell me.”
She looks around the entire barn before her eyes land back on me. “I’m afraid of how you’ll react.”
“I may not have…had the best control over my reactions in the past, but I won’t get mad at you for being honest with me.”
She looks at me like she doesn’t believe me, and I stare back until she does.
After a long sigh, she finally says, “Cole wants to fly me out to Europe so I can help him write an album while he is on tour.”
A sharp pain shoots through my chest, strong enough to make my next breath hurt. Ellie crosses her arms as if she is bracing herself for me to lash out.
So I take a few deep breaths and school my features. I had a feeling it could happen, especially after reading the lyrics to all the songs she wrote for Ava, but reality hits me harder than I thought.
“How long?” I ask with a neutral tone.
She shoots me a quivering smile. “Five weeks.”
Fuck. That is a lot longer than I would like, although she would still be able to make it in time for our trip to see the Mexican Grand Prix.
“And when would you leave?”