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Page 28
She came back. She came back to me.
When she finally pulls away to catch her breath all the questions that her kiss drove from my mind come rushing back, demanding to be answered, overwhelming me. I blurt out the first full sentence I manage to form.
“You’re in your pajamas.”
She grins against my mouth. “I wasn’t planning on going back out.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I read your letters.”
It takes a second for the word to sink in. “Letters?”
She nods, pulling back a little more so she can look fully into my face. “I read all of them.”
I exhale. “I wondered what in the hell was taking you so long.”
She laughs, a soft exhale of breath and tension, before her face grows serious again. “I decided it was time to stop being such a coward.”
“You don’t have a cowardly bone in your body.”
She shakes her head. “That’s not true. I’m terrified of you, Cash.”
I tighten my grip a little, hating those words. “Why?”
“Because you’re the only person in the world who has the power to send me back to that place I used to be in. You’re the only one who can hurt me enough to make me stop caring about how far I’ve come.”
“Sam—”
She presses her lips to mine fiercely, a brief kiss to cut me off. “But you’re also the only person who’s ever been able to show me just how far that is.”
I close my eyes, resting my forehead against hers. “You have come so far. You inspire me, Sam.”
“You were right—what you said at the benefit. I’ve been fighting for a second chance for years. It was wrong of me not to give you one.”
I shake my head. “No way. I’m the one who fucked up. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yes, I did,” she whispers. “I walked away from you when you needed me.”
“I’m always going to need you.”
“I’m not walking away now.”
I can’t believe this is happening. She’s back. She forgave me. She’s not walking away.
“Did you really read all of the letters?”
She nods, her eyes shining. “Every word…did you really see a shrink?”
I roll my eyes. “I did. I do. It’s totally lame.” I pause. “But really helpful.”
“And you’re really moving to Seattle?”
“Already moved in. There’s plenty of room, by the way. If, you know, you’re looking for a place to live during your internship.”
She ignores my hint. “And…you really love me?”
I stare down into her brown eyes, the beautiful eyes I see in my dreams. She looks almost nervous, as if she’s still not quite ready to believe that this is real. “I love you. I love you so much it freaked me out and made me do stupid things. But I also love you so much that I’m willing to work harder than I ever have to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
She sniffs, blinking rapidly like maybe she’s trying not to cry. “I don’t deserve you.”
I laugh. What a silly idea. “Sam, don’t you know? You told me once that Doug saved you—well, you saved me.”
“And you saved me right back.”
She kisses me again and I finally let myself begin to feel the relief that’s been trying to crash over me since I saw her. This is real. Somehow I’ve been granted a second chance—and I’m never going to waste my chances again.
“You want to get out of here?” I whisper against her lips. “I’ve had enough of clubs for a while. I think I want to try something new. I think I want to go home.”
Her answering grin takes my breath away. She’s so fucking gorgeous.
“Yeah. Let’s go home.”
Her hand grips mine tightly as I lead her towards the door. I look up and see Lennon standing a few feet away, watching us. He smiles, raising his beer in our direction, and I feel so happy it’s like a punch to the gut. My brothers are good, the band is in a great place, I’m going to be an uncle soon…and Sam is going to be there for all of it. A part of my life. My family.
I stop her before we reach the door, needing to feel her lips again. She kisses me back eagerly, squeezing my hand. And then we step out into the night, together.
The End
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Schurig is the best-selling author of the Three Girls series, available now in paperback and ebook. Rachel lives in the metro Detroit area with her dog, Lucy. She loves to watch reality TV, and she reads as many books as she can get her hands on. In her spare time, Rachel decorates cakes.
To find out more about her books, visit Rachel at rachelschurig.com
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