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My grin fades as I remember our earlier conversation. Pushing back my chair, throwing my napkin on my plate, I hurry after him.
We step outside into the cool June evening.
“Spit it out,” I mutter, my pulse kicking up. “What is it, Kade?”
Kaden rubs a hand over his mouth, then shoves his hands into his pants pockets. “Before you start hyperventilating, everyone’s fine. But Evan, Evan Morales? He called looking for you.”
“Evan?” It takes me a few long seconds to place the name. Evan, right. We used to work together in Jasper’s garage, back when I lived in Destiny, when I met Octavia. “What happened?”
“He called your cell phone, but couldn’t reach you, and called home, Mom’s phone that you gave him when you first moved here. I answered.”
I put a hand on Kaden’s arm, fighting the urge to shake him. “To Evan. What happened to him?”
“Accident. He didn’t say what. He has no family, apparently. He needs your help.”
Chapter Two
Octavia
Matt towers over me, fists clenched to his sides. With his newly regrown beard and longish hair, those impressive broad shoulders and muscular chest, he’s pretty intimidating. “No,” he growls.
I tap a hand on his pec and grin up at him. “Yes.”
“Tay… You should stay here.”
“I want to go with you.”
“But the baby. You shouldn’t tire yourself.” His voice is gruff, his eyes concerned, and aw, I love this guy so much.
“Look…” I press myself to him, and his arms automatically come around me. He nuzzles my hair. “I’m fine. I promise I’d tell you if not. Besides, you’re not going cross-country horse-riding or anything. You’re going back to Destiny, my town. I would like to visit.”
He pulls back just enough to look down at me. “Is that the real reason?”
Those dark eyes can see to the depths of my mind, and I feel heat spill over my cheeks. “Yes.”
“Sure?” He brings a hand up to my cheek, his palm cool on my flushed skin. “Look at me, Tay.”
Crap. I meet his eyes, and sigh. “That’s mostly it. Truth is… I wanted to check on Ross.”
His gaze darkens, thick br
ows knitting. “That again? I don’t fucking get it. He hurt you. Why do you care how he is?”
“He’s my half-brother.”
“Tay…”
He doesn’t get it. I can’t blame him. He punched Ross on my behalf, protecting me from Ross’s taunting, and he can’t forgive him.
Neither can I. But what Mom told me… And that bad dream I’ve had twice so far… “Trust me?”
He groans, gathers me again close, kisses my lips. Against them he whispers, “If anything happens to you…”
“Nothing will happen to me. To us.” I take his face in my hands. “I need to go with you. Call it a gut feeling. I’ll be careful. I’ll be with you. I need this, Matt.”
He crushes his mouth to mine, kisses me hard, licks inside my mouth, like he can’t get enough of me. When he draws back, he’s panting, his eyes blazing, his body trembling. “You’ll have everything you need with me. I’ll always do my best. That I promise.”
“I know,” I whisper, swallowing a lump in my throat, because I know it’s the truth. “I do have everything I need with you. You are everything I need.”
