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My heart thudded in agreement.
It wasn’t safe to be alone—not anymore. Not when I knew what I could have with Decker if I didn’t shut him out.
I’d fallen in love with my fake boyfriend, but the choice to want what we had was no mistake. And I was going to fight for it.
ChapterFourteen
DECKER
12B.
There was only one non-stop out of Jackson to New York today, and I was going to be on it.
I stared at the boarding pass I’d printed before folding it and putting it in my back pocket. Buying the one-way ticket was the first thing I’d done after getting Reese’s text yesterday—after my heart dropped into my stomach when she’d told me to stay away.
I knew that warning. I knew it was a smoke show the same as every other way she tried to keep me at arm’s length, and I wasn’t going to back down. We both knew the night of the accident that this was it—wewere it. And I was going to keep putting myself in her life until she finally realized that I wasn’t going anywhere, that I’d never hurt her, and that all I wanted was the chance to spend the rest of my life with her.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Archer.
“Hey.” He picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, I’m heading out of town for a little. Can you keep an eye on my shop?”
“Yeah, of course,” he said instantly. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I’m heading to New York.”
“For work?”
“For Reese.”
He hummed in understanding. “What’s your plan?”
I didn’t need a plan because I had a purpose. I was going to bring my woman home.
“To be there,” I answered simply because it was the only answer.
Reese had never had a man justbe therefor her. To support. To cherish. To rely on. To love. So, I was going to give her that. I was going to be there until she realized I’d meant every word I said or until she told me she didn’t feel the same.
“Good man,” he rumbled. “We’ll keep an eye on the shop and whatever else you need. Hell, I’ll send Ranger over there to work on cars.”
I chuckled. He was the only one of them who could learn quickly enough. “Thanks.”
We hung up, and I went into my bedroom to pack. I had a single duffel bag—the one I’d moved here with—and I filled it with a handful of clothes along with my toothbrush. If I needed anything else, I’d buy it in New York. The only thing that mattered now was getting to the airport.
Within minutes, I’d loaded my bag into my truck and was pulling out of my driveway. I’d just reached the road when my phone rang, and the pit in my stomach opened.
Reese.
“Hello?” I answered immediately.
“Hi.” I could hear the edge in her voice. “I’m sorry to call you—”
“Never be sorry.” I swallowed hard.
“My rental got a flat on the way to the airport.”
I gritted my teeth.Shit.The side of the road wasn’t exactly the place I wanted her to find out that I was going to New York with her, but I’d make it work. What choice did I have?
