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“So when you opened up that van door and demanded that I drive you back into the city, all I could think was that this sounded like a vacation to o into work that day”

Her voice breaks and she turns in my ar up and I snuggle her against my chest

“Shhhh…shhhh…” I whisper as I stroketo soothe away her pain “It’s going to be okay” I didn’t kno, and I a to her as I say this, but I can’t stopokay I want to make her okay

“You can’t run away from life,” I finally whisper, when her sniffles have subsided “I know life has sucked hardcore for you lately, but you can’t just stay here and hide from it all”

“I know,” she says ruefully, looking up atinto the distance when she says, “I just don’t want to face it right now You know? Maybe I’ll feel stronger in a few days It’s like I could do it—I could survive all of this—I could h each day, just barely but I was, and then…it was like you gave , so I did”

I hug her against ainst every inch ofthis even ain “Really? Already?”

“Always,” I breathe and then I’ue into her ain

13

Becca

The waiter pulls out my chair forpair of Long Island Iced Teas Rory’s eyes swept up and down ht you were dead Or dying Or being tortured”

I grin at her “Nothing that dramatic”

“But the guy on the phone—” The waitress puts down our Long Island Iced Teas and Rory holds off talking until he disappears “The guy on the phone said that you were being ransomed for two million dollars!” she hisses at ive for you?”

I take a sip of h my syste to tell him to say 200,000 because it seeestures and…well, it was rather sweet that you actually thought they were trying for so much”

“Wha…you…you were choosing that a to me?” she finally sputters

“Yeah,” I say with an easy grin