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His response was to dip low and kiss me, sad and slow "How do you feel?" he asked as he pulled away

"Like shit"

"Is it wrong if I say good?"

I shooka nervous breakdown"

"I think you were more than entitled"

I nodded and looked out at the river "I’ yours"

Porter chuckled and pulled ainst him so he could kiss my teo houess, plan a funeral for my baby"

His face turned pensive "I want to be there for you, Charlotte, but I know this is personal So you have to tellto lass of wine I need to call Brady And then I need to figure out how to move forith my life And I want you there for all of that However, I know you need soo hoy, rising beside ht

"It’s okay And that’s not iving hientle squeeze "Why don’t I drop you off now? Go hoed on my hand "I don’t think you need to be alone"

I stared at hi to say start on all of that crap and then coht after your kids go to bed"

His eyes flared, but a classic Porter Reese set naked"

His chin jerked to the side "I’etting inside Betty White et clothes"

"I’m almost dry!" he defended

I smiled--on the day when it should have been impossible But such was life with Porter

"Then you can alhed as he dug throughfor the roll of paper towels that I’d told him were back there

And then, ten minutes later, after he’d wrapped my driver’s seat up like a mummy, we both cli a ia road

As Porter drove to his house, I looked at my phone Two missed calls fro he already knew, I didn’t find this surprising I made a mental note to text Mom when I was on my way home She’d pass the info on to Tom

Porter and I rode in silence All the words had already been spoken Well, all except the three that screamed inside my heart But that wasn’t the day for professions of love

The sun was just starting to go down Those words could wait for another sunrise

And, for the first time in ten years, I had hope that there would be a lot of sunrises in my future

"What time do you think you’ll be back?" Porter asked when he turned into an upper-middle-class subdivision

I leaned forward and stared out the windshield as rows of tall houses started to appear in front of us They weren’t huge like his brother’s plantation horass covered the front yards while tall, dark privacy fences lined the backs And, from the basketball hoops to the minivans, the place screamed family

My stomach fluttered, but I didn’t allow the panic to set in This here Porter lived There was nothing scary about that

"Uo to sleep?" I asked

"Usually nine, but ht, so they probably--" He abruptly stopped talking at the sa in front of hiaze Two police cars were parked in front of a redbrick two-story just around the bend

"Is that your house?"

Porter didn’t reply as he punched the gas, not slowing until the bottoed at the sound

He didn’t bother cutting the engine before he was out of the car and racing up the sidewalk

Confused, I stared at his back

And then the confusion got a whole hell of a lot worse when Tolare contorting his face His hand shot out and fisted the front of Porter’s shirt as he shoved hiainst the brick wall beside the door

What the hell?