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I groan, shifting in his hold. “Your shirt’s gonna to smell like puke now, too.”
His voice vibrates against the temple unscathed by my fall, rumbling like gentle thunder through summer rain clouds. “Stop talking, Penelope.”
“I r-remember… when you… used to say that to me.”
“And yet, neither you nor Declan ever listen.”
A laugh hums up my burning throat as he steps off the curb.
“Logan…”
“What is it, sunshine?”
“I’m sorry.”
For fighting you so hard. For running away from you the same way I run from everything else. For allowing you to believe that I don’t care.
On impulse, I turn my head and place a kiss against his pec just inches below his collarbone, where his scars are hidden.
He stiffens as Declan whistles like he’s hailing a taxi, and moments later, the Escalade whips into view.
Javier’s voice is thick with worry when he rolls the window down. “Are you all right?”
My sister cuts in between them. “We’re fine, but we need to get Penelope to a hospital.”
“No. I don’t need to go,” I beg. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“You’re pretty banged up, sis.” Carrie tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “We just want to make sure you’re okay.”
I’m fading fast, exhaustion closing in on me when Declan opens the back door. “Respectfully, we should really get going.”
“Please, don’t let them take me, Logan. Promise me.”
Word travels fast around the island and going to the hospital means risking our fathers finding out about this. Besides, I’m just a little bruised. It’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ll be fine. I’m always fine.
Logan scours my face, the muscles along his jaw clenching hard.
Declan ushers us inside the car as the sirens grow louder. “We can decide what to do on the way. Just get in the fucking car.”
Carrie shuffles inside after him, and I moan when I’m jostled in Logan’s arms.
“Do you want to sit up?” he asks when the door slams shut.
Drawing my knees up, I wrap my arms around his neck and tuck my face into his warmth.
He spreads his legs, settling me in his lap, and a knot the size of this island builds in my throat when he whispers, “You want me to hold you?”
I nod, choking on a sob while trying my hardest not to cry on his expensive shirt, and suddenly, I don’t feel so fine.
“Let yourself cry if you need to, but don’t you dare apologize for it.” His arms wrap around my body, and as gently as he can, he rocks me. “You’ve been through enough hurts without me. I want to help you through this one.”
I wonder how many of his hurts I’ve missed, too–all the events, accomplishments, and holidays we never got to spend together. But mostly, I wonder who we would be had we ever been given the chance.
“Call Lidia,” Logan says once Javier pulls onto the road.
Declan hesitates, clearing his throat. “I don’t know if she’ll make a house call…”
“Just call her, goddammit.”
