You're My Home (completed)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Rachel cleared the door to let Wade, Mike's only constant friend, into the room. She was on her way out and catching up with Wade wasn't on her list of top priorities. Mike and Wade were friends, but friends with secrets, and they liked their secrets to remain in the dark.

The boy's shoulder length dreadlocks swayed as he looked her way. "I thought it was you!" he said too loudly.

Rachel put a finger to her lips, eyeing Mike's sleeping form. He was too drugged up to notice the disturbance.

Wade tiptoed in her direction, and Rachel steeled herself for his inappropriate banter.

"How's my old drinking buddy?" he asked, bumping knuckles with her. His eyes were a little blood shot, probably from whatever new drug he was hooked on.

Rachel shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm as good as I can be...given the circumstances."

Wade was bad news. Wade plus Rachel was even worse. Mike always had a good sense of right and wrong. He could handle Wade's obsessive drug use. He occasionally joined in, but never went too far. Mike—the man who showed up drunk at Rachel's work to possibly assault her—was the more responsible of the two men.

"Since you're here, does this mean the gang is back together?" Wade asked.

Rachel raised her eyebrows in Mike's direction. Wade followed her gaze. "Oh...right. Well, when he's all better, you should come by the bar." A sinful expression crossed his face, pulling his lips into a smirk. "Or even better, you could come to the bar without Mike. Remind me of what I've been missing."

Rachel blew out a tired sigh and left the room, having no doubt that Wade was watching her walk away.

***

The waiting room was more packed than before, but her gaze found him instantly.

Collin left his seat and crossed the space between them with his long strides.

"You okay?"

She tilted her head upward to see his face. Those blue eyes had darkened with worry.

"He's the one," her inner thoughts said for the millionth time. She was certain of it.

She was also certain that in spite of everything, she loved the man standing before her. That's what made her decision easy. She couldn't be with him, not with such an imperfect past. She figured Collin would persist if she confessed this. It wouldn't be right for them to be together—his perfect everything, her perfect nothing.

Knowing what was to come and not wanting him to read it in her eyes, Rachel put her arms around him. Her eyes closed as she rested the side of her head on his chest. He embraced her tightly, his chin resting on top of her head in that perfect fit. "Yeah, I'll be fine," she said into his shirt, imagining that someday that might be true.

"You're shaking."

​"It's been a long day."

Collin released her to look at her face, but she wiggled out of his arms and met his gaze with a fake smile.

Before Collin could say anything more, Matt swept Rachel into a hug of his own.

"Hey, lovely," Matt said into her hair, his voice all sympathy. Their hug was quick, yet for a second it made her forget the absence of Collin's embrace.

"Hey! I'm so glad you're here."

Matt nodded, his Avatar hoodie covering most of his hair. Willow was at his side, watching Rachel like she was a balloon about to pop.