“Good? You startled me so badly, I stabbed you!”
My hand absently rubs over the spot in question. “I remember.”
Her cheeks turn red and she glances away. “That’s it.”
“Bullshit. You fuckin’ ran off on me.” I pause because this is the part I’m annoyed about. The part that matters. “You put me in the hospital and then ran. That’s the wound that hasn’t healed, Kadence.”
“It was your own fault for following me,” she snaps. If you didn’t know Kadence, you’d think she’s a real bitch. But Iknowher. Her bottom lip wobbles. Her eyes shine with tears, and she can’t stop balling her hands up into little fists.
Guilt.
Kady’s always been hard on herself. I blame her bitch of a mother for that. The woman never handed out a compliment that wasn’t backhanded. Nothing Kadence did was ever good enough. Made my girl so tough on the outside, she has a hard time saying she’s sorry. Inside, she’s sweet as hell. I know because I’ve tasted that sweetness. But she’s so convinced she’s not worth loving, she’ll do anything to push people away so she doesn’t get hurt first. I broke through all those walls before, and I intend to do it again.
Lucky for her, I think I’ve come up with a way to help her out.
“Did you have fun in California?” I ask and love the shocked expression that crosses her face. I lean in closer, brush my lips against her cheek, then whisper in her ear, “That’s right, baby. I knew where you were the whole time.”
“You did?” This man never quits, does he? I can’t help the warmth spreading through my heart. Blaise was still worried about me? After what I did to him?
“Yeah, of course I knew,” he growls. It makes me wonder how much he knows about my trip.
“All that time? You what, had some poor prospect following me around? Are you serious? What’s the matter with you?”
He doesn’t bother denying a single thing. “I needed to make sure you were safe, babe.”
He says it like it makes complete sense, and I suppose for him, it does. “I stayed with Diana for a few weeks, then went to visit Emma,” I finally say.
He’s silent as if he expects more from me.
“I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid.”
“Of what? Me?”
“No. I know you’d never hurt me.”
He seems relieved. “Then what?”
“Everything.”
He accepts that non-answer and moves on, but I have a feeling he’s not done with this subject.
“You tell your sister about us?”
“Not much. I didn’t see the point. Since we’re not together anymore.”
He runs his hand over his stubbly chin. Sitting here with him like this is killing me. I want…well, I’m not sure what I want. I don’t want to go back to him being an overbearing pain in the ass instead of my boyfriend. I don’t want to go back to hiding our relationship from everyone.
“You never told your dad I was the one who stabbed you?” I ask, because I hate the thought of Bolt being disappointed in me, too.
“Fuck no.”
“Why? Worried he’d think you couldn’t handle your woman?”
He stares at me for a second, then the corners of his mouth pull into a smirk. “No.”
“Didn’t want to tell him we were involved was more like it.”
“Fuck that, Kady. I woulda told him years ago. I only kept it from him because you asked me to. My dad’s not stupid, though. He knows you were basically living here before you took off.”
