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Sitting back on her heels, she whispered, "But I haven’t, Mac I’ve loved you forcrazy stuff to show you that I was perfectly nor that I didn’t kno to be what you needed As soon as ht, he druet I was raped No, actually, he never used that word at all He called it an incident It was as if he were talking about so ticket That ‘incident’ he said would just e would be done to the boy who did it anyway I think he actually believed that he was doing o away The boy who raped ot a free ride out of toith his family and that was that You know, randfather never looked ain after that I just tried to make myself invisible while he was around"

"Oh, baby" Mac rubbed her leg gently "I’m so sorry he didn’t stand up for you He was always a cold ure out how in the hell everything had just been swept under the rug I wanted to come to you, but you disappeared from my life Before, I saw you almost every day, but afterward, noaround in your favorite spots, you were never there You went frorow up to the haunted woet out of my head or my heart I’ve loved you for most of my life, and I’ve never kno to live without you, Avie--I never wanted to I just didn’t kno to reach you after that When Declan decided to join the uredlike that as well There wasn’t a day that you weren’t right there withtiht ave no indications that you felt anything for ularokay, so I had to accept after a while that it was just me, that you didn’t feel for o, so many times I tried, but it always came back to youalways"

Ava launched herself into his ars around his waist "I love you, Mac You’ve been the only h to haveEven if I didn’t show it, loving you was all that got h those lonely years I wanted to be betterto be normal so that I could be someone who you deserved When you left , she added, "I have the scars to prove it"

"Oh, Avie" Mac put his hand on the back of her neck, keeping her eyes locked with his "I love you too, baby You’re the only woman, well, aside from my mother, who has ever heard those words from me I’m sorry if my decision to date Gwen hurt you I didn’t think you were ever going to returnto numb the pain I hate like hell that I hurt both you and Gwen in the process I want you to know that Gwen and Iwe never had sex" He looked at her intently "I haven’t been a saint, baby, but I think that I knew even before I acknowledged it to myself that I couldn’t have a real relationship unless it ith you"

"I love you," she whispered as she stroked his cheek "Being here with you ain"

"Avie, I’ve kept a watch on the bastard who attacked you for years, and he hasn’t so much as crossed the South Carolina line You don’t have to be afraid of him anymore"

"He told me that if I ever told anyone about what happened, he would corandfather o away I was scared that heabout hi a coward, I let the saive ht it was strange that Mac suddenly seemed uncomfortable with their conversation Maybe it bothered him to talk about what had happened to her It had certainly been an e for both of theather her up in his arms

She also knew that if Mac knew so into his chest, she refused to give another ether to the monster who had ruined so much of her life As Mac settled in bed behind her, she didn’t notice that he’d never answered her question

Chapter Nineteen

"Woho are all these people?" Ava asked as she looked at the cars parked in her brother’s driveway

"I recognize Jason’s and Gray’s cars I believe that’s Brant’s Did E, Ava said, "I barely saw her today I hadBrant this afternoon since his assistant quit"

Mac chuckled, shaking his head "So another one of Brant’s assistants bites the dust, huh? I thought he was a little hed "How relaxed do you think it’s possible for Brant to be? Of course, froet fro probably walked in on the with that, baby" Mac shts of you on my desk as well Like at least once an hour"

Ava stuck her botto so his hand up her leg "Honey, you’re doing everything right, but Do idea if I walked around with a boner all day"

Ava felt her face flush, still not used to sexy wordplay with Mac It ood Just being with hi almost effortless She didn’t feel the need to disappear into her surroundings or ith her head down She wanted to embrace life, and she actually looked forward to each new day instead of dreading it All because of thereply, she said simply, "I love you, Mac"