page51 (1/2)

She’d seen that text That hat had sent her to the corner, looking attext had taken her from me

Reese

Maryann Colt had talked the whole way on the drive froht I hadn’t been able to do anything but stare out theMy thoughts had been on Mase and the boy she’d described He sounded exactly like the man I had fallen in love with One text hadAll he had done to show me how much he loved me, and I hadn’t even let him explain

I hadn’t been a charity case He wasn’t trying to fixmy battles because he loved me

He didn’t even know about the text I had deleted it before putting his phone back He had no idea what had changed thatto show up at his house unannounced I knew that just because his mother said he wanted ht for him

He could havehiht I wouldn’t think about that

I listened to Maryann talk instead I had to focus on her words, not on what I could be facing soon But no ht for ht for him now

“His house is up the road a bit He ht to sleep after dinner But knock on theto the left side of the house if he doesn’t open the door I’onna let you walk from here I don’t want hio showfor”

I opened the truck door and jumped down

Maryann pointed to the dirt road lit by ht behind her house “Follow that trail It’ll take you right to his door”

I started to walk that way, then stopped and glanced back at her I caught her wiping her eyes “Thank you,” I said “I know you did it for him But you saved me, too”

I didn’t wait for her response I headed up the hill toward the rooftop I could barely see in the distance The ht thefor the first ti to see Mase

If Cordelia was there, I had to keep ot to his cabin, thehim If he had touched her

I was going to make myself sick I couldn’t think about that

There was a black truck similar to the silver one his mother drove parked outside It was the only vehicle, and I wanted to sigh in relief I could fight the Cordelia battle later Right noas going to focus on getting hiive me

I stepped up onto the front porch and stopped Now that I was here without Maryann coaching me, I was frozen in fear But I had come this far Flown for the first time in my life and left the only safe place I’d ever known to come here To face a man I had thrown out of my life

The last tih my door that he loved me

Did he still? Had I waited too long?

The door swung open before I even got close enough to knock, revealing a shirtless Mase The shadows covered his face, but I knew that chest I also knew those boxer briefs I had to say so My entire body seeht for you,” I blurted out, and then I burst into tears

Mase