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It was a good sign that Paige could laugh "I’ve always known you were stronger than her So has she, which is why she worked so hard to cut you down" He ran his hands over her hair, needing to touch her, to know that she was safe and unharht I would tell her not to call ize to you and ask for forgiveness"

For Paige, that was huge Fa to her It hy she hadn’t deserted Whitney when anyone else would have

But then, as if some sort of da so quickly she couldn’t stop them He couldn’t stop theht words He could only gather her against hi into the creek" Her voice broke "I wanted it to always be like that I wanted to love her For her to love me I wanted us to be real sisters I wanted that so badly that I was actually dying for her to coht we could actually be different together once eren’t living in the sarief, his own, knohat they’d both lost that weekend

"And I wanted to do right by my mother, to keep my promise But I never could It was impossible Whitney would never lether back "It wasn’t your fault" But she needed to let it out He’d thought his oounds were deep, but the scars Whitney had left on Paige ht even be worse

She breathed in, out, quickly, then sniffed "I know I’m not to blame I think I’ve known it since the day I found out what she did to you"

And he’d been caught in a vicious loop of believing horong it was to be with Paige because she was his sister-in-law But the only wrong thing was Whitney Wrong had never been finding pleasure--and peace--in Paige’s aruilty, of feeling foolish Most of all, he was tired of iet worse, like he was still that little kid hiding in dark corners trying to avoid the beating that was going to coht him in as many dirty, nasty, underhanded ways as she could think of But though he’d fight back with every ounce of his will, he’d also take the light, the joy, and the sweetness of the present with Paige Every last moment that he could have with her--and he swore he would appreciate every single one

He wiped the tears froly, tasting every inch of her mouth "You’re so fresh, so lovely, so real You can’t know the nu fro except ave me yours without question"

She shook her head "I’ve alanted ain, her bravery astounded hiaze "I still do"

He kissed the corner of her eye, the tip of her nose, then her lips He wanted to give her the promises she needed to hear, but he couldn’t lie to her The only thing he knew for sure was that he couldn’t walk away

"You’re the e"

Her siven her the word love, as she’d given it to him

"I know I a you say it out loud"

"I don’t knohat I’d do without you I can’t stand to even think of that"