“No,” I said. “But I’m going, anyway.”
She smiled through wet eyes. “I’m proud of you.”
I walked to Callahan’s apartment because I needed the cold air and the time to think. Buddy heard me first, paws skittering across the floor before I even reached the top of the stairs. When I opened the door, he nearly knocked me over with relief.
My husband was in the kitchen. He turned his head the moment I stepped in.
“Merry, you’re back!”
“How did you know it was me?” I asked.
A sad smile touched his mouth. “Buddy told me first. My heart told me second.”
“How did you know it was me?”
He took one careful step forward, then another, reaching slightly with one hand. He almost caught the rug wrong. I moved before thinking and caught his wrist. Callahan stilled under my hand. Then, very gently, he found my face again.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, Merry.”
The
