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Every muscle in my body aches. The adrenaline crash came swiftly and Gage was there to catch me. He held me in his arms while I answered the sheriff’s questions. His hold never changed as he updated Detective Randel. Bobbi finally managed to pry me away from him so I could clean up and change.
“Are your parents coming here or to Seattle?”
“Seattle. They tried to come here but I asked them to give me some time.”
I flip over to face him. This man, so brave and strong, saved me tonight. No matter how much he wants to say I saved myself, he is the hero. My hand cups his face and I memorize every inch of him. The scruff of his beard is comforting on my palm as I notice for the first time the tiny white scar on his upper lip.
“What happened here?” My voice is quiet, barely above a whisper, as I trace the line with my finger.
Gage clasps my wrist and kisses the tip of my finger before answering. “Fight with my cousin.”
“Was he bigger than you?”
“She. Estella was mean as hell. Still is sometimes. But I deserved it. I told her that her jeans made her ass look big. Punched me right in the face.”
I start to giggle and he kisses my forehead. “When he was standing there on the step, I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear your laughter. See you smile.”
“Can I confess something?” I ask.
“Always.”
“I feel bad for his family.”
He sighs and pulls back to look me in the face. “Of course you do. They’re victims in all of this too.”
I crane my neck to kiss his lips. When I settle onto the bed he asks, “Ready for my confession?”
“Tell me.”
“I’m going to miss you.”
Releasing my hold on him, I sit up. If I’m not mistaken, his eyes are shining. He can’t lose it or I will. I’ll say things I’m not sure I understand. Are these feelings fueled by a shared trauma and circumstance, or more? I push those thoughts aside and move to straddle his waist.
His hands grip my hips and I brace my hands on his chest as I lean forward and kiss him. I don’t close my eyes. There’s no chance I want to miss him seeing how I feel. The way my heart beats differently when I’m with him. How the best part of my day is when I see him.
He needs to see everything.
Chapter 44
Sophia
Two months later
“Are you sure you want this? I mean it’s fraying on the end.”
Ignoring her, I slide the rug into place in front of my couch. Morgan has asked that question at least ten times this morning. I’m moving from our large two-bedroom apartment in a secure building to a studio not much bigger than Gage’s Starlight Ridge cabin.
“You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?”
I nod. Morgan sighs.
“Why don’t you—”
“I’m not going to Starlight Ridge, Morgan. I didn’t even go to the last hearing.”
“Thank goodness Dillinger took that plea. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the sentencing? I told you I have the vacation time and will go too.”
