Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 129323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
“I gotta pee.”
I bark out a laugh. “You do that. I’ll be here waiting.”
She raises her hands in mock annoyance. “Men.”
“You love it.” I grin at her.
Her translucent blue eyes sparkle at me. “I do.”
The bed dips, and I feel her get off and head toward the bathroom. I swallow, taking in her naked form. It never gets old looking at Cassidy. She’s breathtaking.
I watch until she’s out of sight, shaking my head to myself. There’s no way I would’ve ever thought she was Pip. She looks nothing like the girl I knew. Sure, there are little moments when I can see that version of her. That fire and the protective instincts that, even at thirteen, Pip possessed. When I left, she was barely a teen. It was right after her thirteenth birthday. She wasn’t a mature-looking thirteen-year-old. She was a kid.
Now, she’s all woman.
Poised. Passionate. Fucking gorgeous.
Despite the change in her looks, she’s the same girl. The same selfless girl who always put me first. The same one who always had my back. And maybe that’s why I had an immediate connection with her.
The part that hurts is that she never thought I had her back.
Pip thought I betrayed her. Thought I took the money she offered and ran, never thinking about her.
There’s so much we need to talk about, but I don’t know where to start. We’ve crossed a line that complicates things. It’s not just Pip and Slate who have things to work out, but Aiden and Cassidy. The same people, yet different issues.
My jaw gets tight, and the need to do something to take my mind off the turmoil is all-encompassing.
I close my eyes to fight off the headache that often presents itself in moments like this. When my anxiety spikes.
It’s like she left the room and took all rational thought and my control with her.
This is what she’s always done for me. Something about her acts as a balm to my chaotic soul. It was like that when I knew her as Pip, and it hasn’t changed since I’ve known her as Cassidy.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Her voice cuts through the air, and I pop my eyes back open.
“Too much,” I admit with a sigh.
She pulls the covers back and slips in beside me, cuddling into my side.
“Better to rip the Band-Aid right off. Or at least that’s what my mom always said.”
I lift an eyebrow, huffing, as I turn my gaze to the ceiling.
“She probably makes a good point.” I inhale deeply, giving myself a couple of moments to gather my thoughts before turning to face her again.
Our eyes lock. And I hold her stare.
Her face looks pale, and she worries her bottom lip. It’s as if she’s afraid to have this conversation. But there’s no reason to be frightened. I’ve already forgiven her.
I lean forward and plant my lips on hers, hoping to ease her unease.
“No need to bite that lip,” I say, offering a small smile.
“You okay?” she says as I pull back, putting a little space between us.
“Yes. Everything is fine.”
She chews on her cheek, searching my face. “So you’re not mad at me?”
I clear my throat, looking down at her naked body. “I’m pretty sure I already proved that.”
She smiles, cheeks staining a pretty shade of pink as I stare at her body unabashedly.
“Well, some people like angry sex. I thought maybe…”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “True. But no, Cass. I’m not angry and if I was, I wouldn’t have used you like that.”
She nods.
“You…haven’t called me Pip,” she says, biting on her cheek again.
She noticed that.
“It’s because I’m still coming to terms with it, but in truth, I’m not sure you’ll ever be Pip again.”
Her face falls at that, and I feel like a bastard for how the words came out. I didn’t mean it like that. “You misunderstand,” I say, pulling her toward me.
“So explain it to me. Please,” she whispers that last part.
“You’re so much more than that. Pip is the little girl I had to leave in order to survive. I don’t want you to be her. I want you to be Cass. Because Cass isn’t a little girl, she’s an incredible woman. A woman who sees me. The man that I’ve become.”
She pivots her body closer to me. “But I’m still that girl. Deep down, I’m still that broken girl you left,” she whispers.
Those words break me a little more. The picture my mind conjures of that little girl, sitting by our tree, all alone crying…it damn near breaks my heart in two.
“I’m sorry I left you. You have no idea how sorry I am.”
“You thought of me. That’s got to mean something.” Her voice still sounds broken, and I don’t like it.
I shake my head. “It wasn’t enough, though. I should’ve tried harder to keep in touch. To ensure you knew I hadn’t forgotten.”