Page 37 of Taken With You

While neither of us had said anything, Beckham had known about me, while I hadn’t known about him.

But what was worse?

I didn’t know, so I couldn’t face him. I could barely face myself. But I was forcing myself to do that now.

I looked in the mirror one last time and then reached down to pull my shirt over my head.

I didn’t need to look at my tattoos to know they were there. But I always did.

I didn’t have to touch my scars to know that they existed on my body. Because they had been woven through my soul long before they were etched onto my skin.

And then I remembered the ink on Beckham’s skin and the fact that I had touched every inch of him.

I remembered the scars beneath my fingertips, and I’d wondered where they came from, even though I had known they came from his past. Those scars had come from his club ink. The fact that it had been lasered off. Painfully. Perhaps even brutally. I hadn’t realized how intertwined our paths had truly become.

And not only what was in front of us, but where we had come from as well.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I mumbled to myself and then shook my head. That seemed to be standard for me lately, and I didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing. I hadn’t spoken to anyone since I left, although Cameron and Aiden had walked me to my car. I’d smiled, nodded at them in thanks, and then driven home.

I’d locked the doors behind me, keeping my security system armed, and wondered if the club would find me.

Not that they were looking. No one knew where I was. And I hadn’t thought my parents would mention it to anyone. Honestly, it wouldn’t have done them any good. They only wanted me for money. And if I were pulled back into that life, I wouldn’t have money for them.

So, maybe they were smarter than I gave them credit for.

The doorbell rang, and I looked over at it, frowning.

If it was Beckham, I didn’t know what I would do. If it was someone else, someone from my past, I honestly didn’t know what to do there either.

I looked down at my phone, at the camera on the security app, and let out a shuddering sigh of relief when I realized it was the girls.

I didn’t know what I planned to say to them, though I knew I couldn’t lie.

They would likely want to know why I ran, and not only because Beckham had come clean.

Plus, I didn’t want to hide anymore. I was so tired of it. It just left me feeling like I was losing it when, sometimes, I felt like I didn’t have much of it to begin with.

So I put my phone in my pocket and went to the front door, taking my time turning each lock as I did.

It was as if I were getting closer and closer to baring my soul with each snap of the lock, and I didn’t know if I was strong enough to do it.

Violet, Harmony, and Sienna walked in, hugging me tightly as they did.

I smiled at them and then closed the door behind them, locking it tightly once more.

“Hi,” I said, my voice soft.

“Hey,” Harmony replied. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. You guys didn’t have to come over this morning.”

“Yeah, we did,” Violet said.

“And you need to tell us what happened. Maybe explain why you have those locks on your door. Why you looked so scared when those people came into the bar. And why you didn’t look at any of them straight on. Oh, and why you ran.”

Violet and Harmony glared at Sienna, and I shook my head, a smile playing on my face. Of course, Sienna would be the one to cut right to the chase. But they all had to wonder. And I was tired of lying. Of hiding.

“It’s a little too early for wine, but I guess once I’m finished, you might want a glass. I know I will.”