Total pages in book: 150
Estimated words: 136791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
“Why couldn't you come back here?”
“Doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago.”
It doesn’t matter? It was a long time ago?
I gape at him in disbelief.
“Let it ride, January,” he says, his voice dull, lifeless. “Please.”
“Are you serious right now, Michael?”
“January, please.”
“Let me go,” I say quietly.
“Baby girl.”
“Let me go.”
He growls a curse before reluctantly releasing me. I quickly scramble to my feet, gathering up my clothes. I scurry into them as quickly as I can, nearly falling over in the process. “I gotta go.”
“January, don't do this,” he says, pleading.
“I didn't do it. You did when you decided I only needed to know about the things you want to tell me, regardless of how the rest of it impacted my life. It might not matter to you why you couldn't come back, but it matters to me.” I stride toward the door. “And it may feel like a long time ago to you, but it certainly doesn't to me when I still wake up screaming most nights.”
“Fuck,” he mutters, moving to follow me. “I didn’t mean it l—”
I throw up a hand, silencing him. “Don't bother. This was a mistake.”
“Which part?”
“All of it, Cade. The whole damn thing.” I yank the door open. “Keep his patch. I don't need a reminder of what killed him. I have enough of those already.”
Chapter Twelve
Cade
Then - Age Twenty
"You open it!" January cries, thrusting the thick envelope out toward me. She clamps her hands over her eyes like she's afraid to look, but then she peeks out from between her fingers. Her face is a mixture of excitement and nerves. Her body practically vibrates where she's sitting on the edge of her bed in one of my hoodies and a pair of yoga pants. My hoodie swallows her small frame, making her appear younger than she is.
"You gotta do it," I tell her before I pry her hands away from her face. She's terrified she didn't get into UCLA with me, but she's crazy. Of course they snatched her up as soon as they had a chance. She's too damn smart not to get in.
"I'm nervous."
I drop to my knees in front of her and cup her face. "I know you got in, sweetheart," I tell her, trying to calm her down a little. "You trust me?"
She nods, her tongue swiping along her bottom lip as she stares down at me.
"Then open the letter so I can kiss you."
"Okay," she whispers.
I grin at her and stand up, tugging gently on a piece of her hair.
She takes the envelope from me with shaking hands. For a long minute, she just stares at it and then she peeks up at me once more. "Promise we'll make this work even if I didn't get in?"
"Baby girl," I admonish, shaking my head. "I love you. Even if you didn't get in, I'd still follow you around like a lost puppy. You're never getting rid of me."
"Okay. Just checking." She grins at me and then tears into the envelope.
I take a step back to watch her, wanting to soak in this moment. Seeing her happy is incredible. She's so tiny…it's almost like her body can't hold all of her happiness so it leaks out into the air around her. Maybe that's ridiculous, but when she's happy, she fucking glows.
She unfolds the letter and takes a deep breath before dropping her gaze to it. Her eyes track across the page, widening as she reads. A second later, she leaps from the bed with the biggest smile on her face.
"I did it!" she screams and comes hurtling toward me.
I catch her in my arms and swing her around, laughing as she kisses all over my face, chanting over and over that she did it. She wraps her legs around my waist and clings, laughing.
God, she's beautiful when she's happy.
I take her mouth in a deep kiss, unable to stop myself. Her tongue slides across the seam of my lips before touching mine. As soon as it does, my body lights up like someone sent a jolt of electricity firing through every synapse inside me. She tastes like sugar and the strawberry gloss on her lips. I lick all that shit off before sucking her bottom lip into my mouth.
Once she's breathless and panting, I pull back to rest my forehead against hers. "Congratulations, baby girl," I whisper, loving the way her breath teases at my lips. "I'm so proud of you."
Her smile is so big I know it has to hurt her cheeks. Her eyes shine with happiness and excitement. "We're gonna be together next year," she whispers.
"Hell yeah, we are."
I carry her out to the living room and sit down with her in my lap. If we stay in her bedroom, I won't be able to keep my hands off her. Titan will be home from work soon. I try to be respectful and keep my hands off his sister when he's around. Not that it seems to help much.