Page 59 of Fracture

The writing was on the wall. And he was going to wait it out, and let her go when she made the choice to leave him.

Just like everyone else in his life.

He wasn’t asleep. She knew he wasn’t asleep. He was too still. And he was barely breathing.

But he didn’t want to talk, so Lorelei went to bed. She wasn’t ready to sleep yet, but with the laptop in the living room, she didn’t have much to do.

She was restless and frustrated. She’d gotten used to curling up with Vinnie and talking for a while before they went to sleep. And she’d gotten used to his hands wandering her body and settling her before she fell asleep.

Lorelei replayed the memory of her and Karli over and over again in her mind. She wanted more memories. She wanted to know who she was.

Not knowing who she was… It was lonely. Like living a stranger’s life. Even with others telling her who she was, Lorelei felt like she was alone. And she was starting to think it wasn’t on accident.

Karli and Adam never mentioned a relationship. No one who claimed to care about her showed up. She saw no evidence of another person in her apartment, and there was nothing to suggest she had a significant other in her life.

Ever.

A stranger found her. A man she’d never met before, a man who knew her from work, went looking for her and found her. No one else did. What did that say about who Lorelei was? What did that say about her life?

She didn’t want to be alone. She didn’t want to lie on her couch and die. She didn’t want to be taken because she didn’t have anyone.

It didn’t matter that she didn’t know who she was before, Lorelei knew she didn’t want to be that woman again. She didn’t want to be someone who existed separate from everyone else in her life.

Karli had Cade. Adam had Raina. Jessica had Braden. Frannie had Marcus. Even the women Lorelei hadn’t met yet had people. They were paired up. They had their person who would stop at nothing to find them if they went missing.

Lorelei had no one.

Except Vinnie.

But did she have him? Would he be there for her after she was healed? He acted like he wanted her to be there. Before, at least.

Lorelei swung her legs out of the bed and reached for her crutches. She grabbed a blanket and pillow from the bed and tucked them under her arm.

Each step was a challenge. The blanket slipped, so she stopped and wrapped it around her shoulders. The pillow fell. She thought about leaving it behind, but she knew she needed it.

One step after another, she slowly made her way to the door. Everything hurt, and not because of her injuries. Because she knew she wasn’t who she wanted to be. But she was going to change that.

She moved out of the room, one step at a time. Vinnie was snoring softly on the couch, actually asleep this time. He looked peaceful, like nothing could get to him.

Lorelei was a little jealous. When she first got home, she was angry that he was pretending to sleep and didn’t want to talk to her, but now she just missed him. She missed curling up next to him. It was frustrating that he was able to sleep without her by his side.

She debated. If she laid down next to him, he’d wake up. He worked all day and needed his rest.

But she needed him.

It was selfish, but she was feeling a little selfish. The notes in her files led her to believe she didn’t trust anyone. Not even Adam, who couldn’t explain her shorthand.

Lorelei moved the last few feet to Vinnie. His brown hair fell over his forehead, softening him. His lips were full and parted with each breath. His lashes flickered, but his eyes never opened.

His hand was tight on the blanket he’d covered himself with. The white sleeves of his tee stretched tight around his biceps. His legs stretched to the other end of the couch, filling all the space.

Lorelei wished she understood what it was about him that made her feel so safe, but it didn’t really matter. Even having a memory of Karli didn’t make Lorelei want to leave Vinnie. She knew Karli and Cade would welcome her into their home, just like Adam and Raina would, or Frannie and Marcus. Others had offered. Lorelei had people who would be there for her if she needed them to be, but Vinnie was the one she wanted to be around. Vinnie was… different.

Lorelei dropped the pillow next to the couch. She unwound the blanket and let it fall on top of the pillow. She leaned her crutches against the wall, making sure they were secure and wouldn’t fall during the night. She rested her weight on the arm of the couch and picked up her right leg. She’d never lowered herself to the floor, but it couldn’t be that different from anything else. Just farther to fall.

She supported her weight and slid down, doing her best to go slow. The couch was the only reason she made it to the floor with a soft thud instead of shaking the entire building.

Vinnie made a noise, but he didn’t wake up.