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"Wait" I waved n a tattoo you’re going to have on your skin for the rest of your life? Man, that’s whack"

Quinn just shrugged "It caood, so I didn’t have a problem with it"

I turned to Caroline and shook rin spread across her face "I think this is the best trip I’ve ever been on"

Once we returned to Illinois and I had to give Caroline back to her brother, I think I went through a fuckingI still drove over ot to see her damn near every day, and talked to her constantly via text, but it just wasn’t the same

At Lake Tahoe, I hadn’t had to hide her, hadn’t needed to sneak I’d been able to keep her all night long and wake up the nextto Hah in public that people three states away could hear

But herefuck, here it was still a secret And I hated that Caroline Gamble was not my secret She was er

I’d been trying to wait until she broached the subject and made it her idea, so she didn’t feel anxious or scared e finally told hier

Besides, other things were forcing me to make decisions sooner than I expected

So about a week after Lake Tahoe, I walked her toher up at our spot, sat her on the bed facing her, and I said, "There’s so I have to tell you"

She blinked and pulled back in surprise "Ookay," she said slowly "This sounds serious"

I nodded There were actually about three serious things we needed to discuss, so I took both her hands and looked into her eyes But when I openedrattled the wall of the hallway just outside lances and simultaneously rushed to the door "Blondie?" I called

Haone to work, so it had to be--

"Oh, shit" She lay on the floor, half slu in my chest, I leapt at her "Blondie!"

"Ohto her knees withhands, afraid of what they ertips as I touched her throat and her breath fell on my arm, I sat back on my haunches with a relieved pant