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"I do"

I nodded "Okay Then you have toI don’t know, fuck But I can’t handle watching you fall apart like this I mean, look at you This is not you You don’t cry like this, you don’t cower into corners It totally fucked you up And I justI wish I could take it all from you, that I couldfuck! I don’t know"

Blue eyes still glittering with tears, she gazed up at ed a treh my mind when I saw you yell at that doctor?"

I winced "That I was a stupid htwhere was this a man when I needed him to do that forin front of Sander’s intily powerful parents, or when I walked into that clinic feeling sick to my stomach with unease Why did he have to show up in ? Why couldn’t he have arrived in my life just one day sooner?"

Devastation swamped me My throat felt dry, but when I tried to clear it, I had to blink repeatedly to keepwet "I wish I could’ve been there, too," I said in a rusty voice "I would’ve taken one look at your face and known that wasn’t what you really wanted to do I would’ve told all those assholes pressuring you into it to go fuck themselves"

Caroline took my hand and then rested her cheek on my shoulder "I know you would have But what bothered , why hadn’t I just done that for myself? Why didn’t I stand up to everyone and say no?"

"Because you were scared, and intimidated, and alone, just like you said," I reminded her I started to rock her back and forth, relieved when she settled deeper into , vulnerable, destitute, and heartbroken from the prick who’d just left you You didn’t feel as if you had a lot of other options left"

She sniffed but didn’t answer, just listened to me as I stroked her hair With a kiss to her forehead, I said, "When I saw you in that doorway of the doctor’s office, looking at ht that was it You were done with me because Ibecause of what I said But I swear to God, I wasn’t even thinking about what happened to you when I blurted it out I justBlondie was getting upset, and she clearly didn’t want--"

"I know," Caroline said si me, and I shuddered with relief "I knew it the second I heard it I justI needed"

"To get away?" I guessed "To go to your place?"

She glanced around her bedroouess I did"

I drew in a breath, relieved her tears had stopped Her face was still red and splotchy and eyes totally bloodshot, but she no longer looked like she was on the precipice of a total breakdown Cuddling deeper into her, I rested h this? What can I do to ease your pain, because I swear to God, I’ll do anything"

Absolutely anything

She set her hand on my heart and looked up at me, her eyes filled with sointo me "Just lovemy forehead to hers, I shifted her around until I had her lying on her back diagonally across her bed "I love you so da above her, I set ave her a kiss that would’ve sent a weaker person into a diabetic coma; it was that daues brushed softly I groaned and buried ht down on top of hers

"I had no idea it could be like this," she whispered, only breaking her h to look at me with a measure of awe "I had no idea I could share so much with one person and feel sofull Like, I don’t knoithout you in my life, I’m not sure I’d kno to be me anymore You’ve beco her cohten h to deserve you"

"I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you," she countered

I rubbed rinned back "Have we gotten serious and eh for one conversation? Because I’ht now and--"