________________________________________________________
{Since
you're gone
There
is an empty space
Since
you're gone
The
world is not the same
I go
back to the places we've been
It feels
like you're still there
I live
all those moments again
Wishing
you were here
Since
you're gone
There
is a lonely heart
Since
you're gone
Nothin'
is like it was
There
are memories all over the place
Bringin'
it back all so clear
Remember
all of those days
Wishing
you were here
All those
lonely nights
I gotta
fight for you, yes I do
Yes
I do
Since
you're gone
There
is a heart that bleeds
Since
you're gone
I'm
not the man I used to be
I follow
your steps in the snow
The
traces disappear
We know
what we've lost when it's gone
I'm
wishing you were here
All those
lonely nights
I gotta
fight for you, yes I do
Yes
I do}
Adam stared at her in shocked disbelief, his mouth open, no further words coming to him. The redhead had not moved so much as a muscle in the moments since he'd spoken her name, and now, she finally did.
Straightening up and retreating across the room, the woman sighed, running a hand through her long hair.
Adam instantly left the bed and followed her, afraid she might just bolt out the door.
"Amy, wait...Don't go - please..."
She turned around slowly, her breath catching in her throat as she met his gaze. She hadn't actually been on her way out, but had felt the odd need to put distance between them after he'd realized her identity. It was strange, because this was not the way she'd envisioned this moment - not the way she'd hoped it would go.
"My God...It's really you..." the tall blond man said, his emerald-green eyes drinking in the sight of her longingly, his gaze slowly scanning up and down to take in her entire form. She was still so breathtakingly beautiful - but he wouldn't expect anything less, regardless of her being gone for eight months or eight years.
"Yes, it's me, Adam..." she finally spoke, and her eyes were still locked with his. She found it nearly impossible to look away. One of the things she'd always found so alluring about him was his eyes. They were a beautiful shade of green, sort of a grayish-emerald color, and very exotic. They had such depth and expression - she truly believed the eyes were the windows to the soul - and with him, she knew this to be the case.
The Canadian inched closer to her, and Amy didn't back away or even move a muscle. Then, gazing down into her lovely face, he issued the question on his mind.
"What...What are you doing here?"
Unblinking and unwaveringly, she softly replied, her voice nearly a whisper. "I had to see you..."
Adam's heartstrings tugged in his chest, and he studied her silently for a beat, his gaze intense and unblinking. Then, "But Amy...sweetie, what about-"
"To hell with it!" the redhead cried, interrupting his would-be question. "I don't care anymore. There are things that are more important to me than that. I-I...I just needed to see you, Adam..."
The tall blond man stepped even closer to her, and by now, they were mere inches apart. The redhead kept her gaze on him, biting her lip gently as he reached out for her almost tentatively with one hand. Slowly, he placed his hand against her cheek, and Amy closed her eyes at his touch. She held her breath, Adam's caress awakening so many different emotions in her.
Adam wanted more than anything to kiss her - as he'd wanted to every lonely night he'd spent since she'd gone away. Very slowly, he moved his face closer to hers, but before his lips met hers, he stopped himself. Before he kissed her, he had to know where they stood - and what was going on. He couldn't afford to take the chance of indulging in that kiss if she wasn't going to stay. He wouldn't have his heart shattered like that again...
The redhead opened her eyes to gaze up at him, a feeling of surprise coming over her, as she'd felt how very near he'd been - she'd been certain there would have been a kiss. She felt a burst of tenderness rushing through her at the expression on his handsome face - he looked so uncertain and lost - and a lot younger than his twenty-nine years. She knew how vulnerable he'd always been, always longing for love - and she knew he'd always had a fear of abandonment, which she supposed stemmed from the fact that he'd grown up without a father and had never even known the man...
Right now, he looked like a man torn. She couldn't blame him. After all, she'd been gone for eight months - only four short of a year - and that was a long time.
"What are you going to do?" Adam questioned, and Amy instantly knew what he meant.
"I...I can't go back," she replied, running a hand through her long red hair, her gaze dropping briefly ever so slightly before meeting his eyes again. "I just can't...I..." She steeled herself, knowing her next words would fill him with a horrible fear. "I left the witness protection program...and I'm not going back."
"What?! Ames, how can you-"
Before the blond man had a chance to finish his question, she spoke again.
"I can't stand being away from you...I won't do it anymore!" Her hazel eyes were suddenly flooded with tears, and as she blinked furiously, one escaped her left eye and trickled slowly down her cheek.
Oh, God... He couldn't believe his ears now as well as his eyes. She'd abandoned the program into which she'd been placed for her protection because of him. And what about the maniac who'd been harassing her? What if he found out - if he discovered where she was...?
Adam didn't want to even think about it - at least not right now. For the moment, all he wanted to do was hold her.
He pulled her gently into his embrace, his arms going around her waist, and the redhead clung onto him as though she were a drowning swimmer and he was the only anchor. She sobbed against his chest as she held onto him.
The Canadian closed his eyes tightly, savoring the moment of having her so near him. He gently stroked her hair and back, trying to soothe her.
He vowed that he was going to fiercely protect her - no matter what...