"I'm just so glad you're awake," he whispered, his voice raw with honesty. "I… I've been so lost these past hours. I—" He shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment as if to gather himself. When they opened again, they were glossy with unshed emotion.
"Don't ever scare me like that again. Do you hear me? Don't leave the house without telling me or Claire or anyone. I can't— I'm not sure I would survive losing you, Emma. If I have to search the ends of the earth for you again… I don't think I'll make it."
Emma's breath hitched, her own heart aching at his words.
Forgetting the others in the room, she reached up with her trembling hand to cup his face, her thumb brushing the corner of his lips.
"I'm right here," she whispered. "I'm not going anywhere. And I won't make you find me again. That's my promise to you," she said looking deep into his gray eyes.
