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I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear as her palet your jacket while you call Seth because I don’t want you riding on that bike"

"But ill you do?"

I cup her cheek withto touch as much of her as I can "I can put the bike in the back of the truck and then we can go for a drive or so"

There’s a trace of a so?"

I return her s bottom lip "Wherever you want"

A sly look comes over her and then she stands on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek "How about the beach?"

I cock ive her a funny look as she lance around at thelot, near the fence line, and below the roof where the snow is sliding off "The beach?"

She glides her hand down my arm and places it in et here"

I don’t knohat she’s up to and I’ to stay away fro here and she understands me so much more than anyone ever has and I’ht, you call theet your jacket from inside"

She nods and starts to take her phone out of her pocket as I head inside A few of the people at the tables give s shut behind me They’re probably the ones who have heard the story Gossip spreads quickly around here and I wish I could get the hell away from their stares From the snow, from the town, frorab Callie’s jacket and ignore Jenna’s penetrating stare as I wind around the tables and hurry out the door, relieved when it swings shut behind et back to Daisy that Callie and I are together I’m worried Jenna’s already called Daisy and she’ll show up here in anyI ever want Callie to have to deal with

I i as soon as I see Callie I haven’t laughed in forever and it cra?"

The sky has blackened and snoers down froray clouds Callie has her hands on the handle ofto push it forward so it’s underneath the shelter of the carport and out of the snow Her feet are slipping against the ice and she’s barely getting it to budge

I step up behind her and feel her tense as I placeto hurt yourself," I say, dippingthe first tiuiding her withto hurt it"

She leans back, tips her chin up, and looks up at ht I read somewhere that motorcycles were not made for snow"

I press my lips to her forehead and leave the the feel of her skin before pulling back "Where on earth did you hear that?"

She shrugs "I don’t know So my head, I smile and hold up the jacket for her to put her ar since I’ve smiled that the muscles around my lips kind of hurt She turns to the side and slips her arh the sleeve, then rotates to the other side and puts her other arlide ertips into her, I spin her around to face ers around to her sto my eyes off her as I pull the zipper up to her chin and her breath eases out in a thin fog My fingers shiver as I draw them away, and then I bend forward and kiss her forehead, shuttingto keep my eyes open I’veit instead of drea I’ for her and she should have the best More than that She should have everything and I ahto have to let her go

"Seth and Luke will be here in aonto the bottom of my shirt, with her face pressed into ers,helpless, but all I can do is stand and shiver and pretend like it’s just from the cold

Chapter 9

6 Run away--run to the beach

Callie

I’m confused I can tell that Kayden wants to hold e to touchtalk so I can understand what he’s thinking and what he wants, and so he can understand what I want because I don’t think he knows We need a week at a beach house with plenty of alone tiive us

Later that day, we’re in Luke’s truck, which is parked out back of the grocery store It’s getting dark, but the la from the sky It’s the day after Christs around us are decorated with various colored twinkle lights and the sidewalk has flashing candy canes and wreathes bordering it