Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 72616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“Was everything we shared a lie?” I ask her, and she stops walking. “Turn around and look at me.” She doesn’t move, but her shoulders shake. I walk to her and put my arms around her. “I love you, Willow,” I say finally. “Every single part of you was made for me.”
“You don’t mean that,” she says in my arms. “You can’t mean that. Who would love someone like me? I’m a liar.” Her whole body shakes, and I turn her in my arms.
“We are not doing this here,” I say. “We are going to do this at home.” She looks up at me. “Will you come home with me?” I ask her, but the reality is that even if she says no, I’m going to drag her back to the house to listen to me.
“What’s the point?” she says, looking at me. “It won’t change anything.” My heart hammers in my chest. “There is nothing more that needs to be said.”
“There are things I need to say. Things that you need to hear,” I say, and she steps out of my arms. “Please,” I say, and she looks down.
“Mayson is waiting for me,” she says.
“Give me five minutes, and if you still want to go, I will drive you wherever you want to go.” The lie tastes like acid in my throat.
I turn and walk out of the barn, seeing Mayson still there standing by the truck. He pushes off when he sees me. “I’ve got her,” I say, and he ignores me and looks over my shoulder.
“You going to be okay?” he asks, and she looks at him. He walks to her and takes a phone out of his pocket. “If you need me, call Chelsea and I’ll be right there.”
I glare at him when he walks past me to his truck. I take a deep inhale and then walk to her. “The golf cart is over there.” I point behind her, and she turns and walks toward it. She sits far away from me, and I hate it. My hands grip the steering wheel so tight I’m surprised it doesn’t break off.
I park the golf cart and walk into the house with her following me instead of holding her hand. I turn once I’m in the living room and look at her. “I don’t know where you are going to be comfortable doing this.” I look at her and see that she is wiping away tears.
“There is nowhere to do this,” she says. “Everything has been said. Just let me leave and—" I hold up my hand so she stops talking.
“You think I’d let you leave?” I ask, the next word coming out in a whisper. “Never.”
“Quinn, please,” she says, her voice cracking.
“I may have been mad,” I say. “And stupid for leaving you. But you have to understand that I’ve never done this before.” She wrings her hands together, and my heart feels like someone just kicked it. “I’ve never been in love before.” She gasps out. “You have to know that’s how I feel.” I walk to her now, my feet not stopping until I’m in front of her. “I will fight for you.” My hand comes up and pushes her hair away from her face. “I will fight with you.” A sob rips through her. “And I will fight to be with you.”
“Quinn,” she says, her voice breaking, and I need her to see me. I need her to look me in the eyes.
“You are everything,” I say, and I don’t even wait for her to say anything before I press my lips to hers.
Chapter 32
Willow
His lips press against mine, and it’s a good thing he’s holding me because I might have fallen to the floor. I take his kiss and then push away from him.
“You don’t mean that,” I say, holding on to the couch as my knees shake. “You can’t mean that.”
“I mean every single word,” he says, looking at me. “Every single fucking word.”
“But the things I’ve done,” I say, shaking my head. When his father caught me, I knew that my secret would be exposed, the secret that I hoped would never come out. I stood there in front of them and told them that I helped make all of this happen. I stood there, hoping and praying that they wouldn’t look at me like I was the monster I was.
“You have done nothing,” he says, and I shake my head. “Listen to me and listen to me good.” I look at him, putting my hand in front of my mouth right before I sob out. “You did what you needed to do to survive.”
“But,” I start to say. “But.”
“Do you want to stay here?” he asks, and my stomach shoots up to my heart.
“Before all of this,” I say the truth because he deserves to know the truth. He needs to know no matter what the future holds, I need to tell him. “Before all of this happened,” I start again, shaking the nerves from my hands. “I decided that I was going to tell you that I chose you,” I say, my heart feeling the pressure in my chest. “I had picked you. This is where I wanted to be. You are who I wanted to be with. I don’t know what love is. I have never felt it before. But just the thought of not being with you. Just the thought of not seeing you every single day, it was a feeling I’ve never felt before. I was so scared.” I swallow. “So scared that one day you would wake up and see that I wasn’t worthy of you.”