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"Can I help y--" She broke off at the sight of him and narrowed her eyes "You"

It was Bailey’s reed "Is she here?"

She slammed the door on his nose

He dropped his head, studied his shoes, counted to five, and knocked on the door

It opened slowly "I don’t talk to heartbreakers," Bailey’s hter, but I’m here to tell her I was an idiot and that if she’ll let ain"

She sniffed "No man can promise to not be an idiot It’s in your blood You’re cursed"

"Okay, true enough," he allowed "I’ll probably be an idiot several more times this week alone, but if she’ll let me, I’ll love her for the rest of ti beat "She won’t let you love her," she finally said, but her voice armer and hey, she hadn’t slaood signs "Why won’t she letto live the life she could only dreaood at putting herself out there She used to do that with her dad He’d pro energy she didn’t have to waste,him cards and stuff And then she’d sit in thein the living rooirl she’d been

Her er and reh to completely et"

Hud knew that feeling His dad had been no better

Bailey’s mom hesitated "And then there’s Aaron I love that boy as if he was my own, but he screwed up once and Bailey’s…" She shook her head "She’s used to a black-or-white world Sick, not sick Alive, round" She paused "When she was so sick, forgiving came easy Too easy She ay too kind But now…" She s It’s as if getting to live made heron that She’s working on a lot of things And she’s forgiven her father and Aaron, but she hasn’t forgotten Karhter a second chance at life and she’s taking it Thank God But I’ve influenced her decisions enough And I learn fro support from me"

And with that, she pulled her head back inside her place and shut the door

Hard to argue with that

Hud continued along the path, winding his way until he found 10A, which was the address Bailey had listed as hers Heart pounding against his ribs, he knocked

No answer

He knocked again and would’ve sworn he felt so him "Bailey," he said, hand flat on the door "Listen to s But mostly about us I want an us I always did, I was just…" He sighed and set his forehead to the wood "Scared" He blew out a breath "Bay, I need you to open up the door now and forgive me"

Her door didn’t open

Instead the door across the way did and… shit… Aaron stood there "Nice on the spilling your guts," he said, "but typically an apology involves more ‘I’ive"

Hud ground his back teeth "Where is she?"

"Not here"

Hud blew out a sigh "You all live in the sahtly "When so as she did, it takes a lot of care, twenty-four-seven sometimes She and her mom had to downsize, sell the family house The medical costs devastated them They moved here and so did I, to be around to help when she needed it" He paused "She hasn’t needed it for a while," he admitted