Page 84 of You Saw the Best In Me

“Anything you’re comfortable with is okay with me, baby girl,” I kiss her forehead and bring her closer to me.

“Mav … are we moving too fast?” she whispers, closing her eyes and biting her bottom lip.

Now that her ex is in jail, she’s scared of us. I understand it, but nothing has changed for me.

Maybe we’re moving too fast, but outside forces are not considered because we believe in what we feel for each other.

“No, I don’t think so. Our connection is undeniable, and our desire to be close is a part of our relationship,” I tell her, not hiding the truth in my bones.

“Relationship?” she smiles, that sparkle in her hazel eyes shining, even in the darkness.

“Is that what this is?” I ask, raising my eyebrow and leaving the ball in her court.

“Not until you call me your girlfriend,” she kisses my nose, looking at me like I hung the stars in the sky.

“Karina, at the risk of sounding like the corniest person in the world, will you be my girlfriend?” I wait while she laughs, agreeing that I am, in fact, corny as shit.

“Of course, Mav. You’re my boyfriend now,” she teases, like we’re little kids on the playground, and I feel my heart skip a beat.

“I still think you should get your permit and learn how to shoot. It’s just another form of protection,” I suggest, hoping she agrees.

“I want to learn, and I want my own weapon. Not on my body like yours, but maybe I can keep it in my car or something?” she asks, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“Of course. If that’s where you want to keep it, that’s your safe place. I always kept mine in my gun safe until recently. It was my preference,” I tell her, and she smiles, almost as if I’m cementing a thought she had bubbling at the surface.

I pour us both another shot of tequila, clinking our glasses together as we toss them back.

Karina wants to watch our show, so I put it on and let her fall asleep on my chest.

She’s snoring long before I can drift to sleep, and all I can think about is how fucking perfect she is.

This is all so new to me, but being with Karina makes it feel like we’ve already spent a lifetime together.

Everything I ran from led me to where I belong, and I’ve come to the firmest conclusion that I will never let her go.

KARINA

THREE WEEKS LATER

There’s something to be said for feeling consistently happy, and since it’s my first time, I’ll say it’s fucking incredible.

Since Asher was arrested, I’ve felt so free and enjoyed the things in life that I’d always sacrificed for safety.

I went out for drinks with my co-worker, Reilly, and we had a fucking blast. She’s quickly become one of my favorite people and has no clue about my past.

I don’t know anything about hers, and it’s refreshing. We vibe so well together.

“Girl, how’d you find a man so fucking hot in this small town?” she asks, sipping her vodka-cran from a straw and moving with the music.

“I’m the luckiest lady in Forest Falls,” I say, pulling her toward the karaoke machine.

We’re drunk, and we’re going to sing. I choose for us, and it’s a fucking banger.

Mr. Brightside by The Killers blares through the speakers, and we sing-scream the lyrics until the song finishes, eliciting a roaring cheer from the crowd.

“You’re the only friend I have here, Karina,” Reilly tells me afterward, and I hug her tightly.

“Same, girl. You’re my best Forest Falls friend,” I say, and we cheer a tequila shot to that.