“I don’t know either. But at least she’s safe.”

I look at him and speak the only words I can think of at the moment. The only words that I know are true. “And I will continue to make sure she is safe. I will finish this.”

“I know you will.”

I lower my head to look down at the bottle again, and I hate how tight my chest feels. How empty my soul is once again. I’m just meant to live a life of deceit. But I don’t have to continue doing that to Taylor. I can make a change and the change is gonna start with her. And I know just what to do.

TAYLOR

When I wake, it’s dark, and for a second, I forget where I am. But his smell hits my nose and I remember I’m in his bed.

“Hey.”

I give Savannah a half smile as I see her lying next to me. She came in here earlier to talk to me. She apologized for what Blane had done more times than I can count. She swore she had no idea what was happening or what Blane had been doing and I believed her. She didn’t even have to explain all that; I knew she was as in the dark as I was.

“Still mad at him?” I ask.

She nods. “I plan on being mad at him for a long time,” she says matter-of-factly, and I give her a small smile. At least, she knows when she finally forgives him that he will still be there.

Case won’t be there for me. He already told me. He may have feelings for me, but he doesn’t plan to act on them.

“What time is it?” I ask stretching. I’m still tired, but I can’t sleep all day and night. My schedule is already fucked up.

“Eight forty-three.”

Great! It just got dark outside. I slept the entire day away. I get out of bed and make my way into the kitchen wanting to see if he has coffee or a water.

I find my brother sitting at the kitchen table. “I was wondering how long you were going to sleep,” he says to me.

“As long as I want,” I reply flatly.

He spins around in his seat to face me. “Taylor. Please don’t be mad at me too. I had no choice.”

“You always have a choice. You just chose to lie to us,” Savannah snaps walking in behind me.

“What was I supposed to do? I needed his help. I never expected you guys to get involved in it.” He looks at me with narrowed eyes. “Or for you to sleep with the man. I mean, of all the women I have ever known, you’re not the type to jump into bed with anyone.”

I take a deep breath and grip the coffee mug tightly; I really wanna throw it at his face. “You think I planned this? You think I wanted to get hurt?” I snap.

“Get hurt?” he asks confused. “You can’t blame me for getting hurt. You’re the one who got too close to him.”

“Too close? I fucking love him, Blane.” His eyes widen. “I have been seeing him for over a month.” They narrow at that. “You think you were the only one keeping a secret? Well, we had one of our own. And I blame that on you,” I shout.

I look away from him to search the house. Where is Case? Did he hear that? Oh God, I hope he’s still asleep somewhere. I don’t want him to find out I love him by my screaming it at my brother.

“He’s not here,” my brother says softly.

I look back at him. He looks at me with soft eyes. “Where is he?”

“He slept for a few hours and then left earlier today. He went up to the hospital to spend time with Brecken.”

I sigh in relief. “That would have sucked if he had heard that,” I say out loud, but I’m mainly talking to myself.

“Taylor.” My brother stands from the table. “He’s not coming back.”

I feel my chest tighten. “What do you mean?” I ask slowly.

He runs a hand through his dark hair. “I spoke to him this morning. Once you girls fell asleep, he went into his room and quietly packed a bag. He is gonna get a hotel in town. He’s not coming back here because he thinks you don’t want him around. You told him you hated him.” He looks over at Savannah and then back at me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t understand he meant so much to you. When I saw you at his office this morning, I just thought it was something sexual and I got pissed.”

“But …” I start to panic. “He said he brought us here to keep us safe. How will he keep me safe if he’s not here?” I ask quickly.

“He said that no one knows about his house. No one knows how to find you. That he doesn’t need to be here in order to keep you safe.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Why does everyone just want to hurt me?

He looks over at Savannah as she gives him a go to hell look, and he sighs. “Because if you love him half as much as I love Savannah, then you need to let him know.” He speaks to me but keeps his eyes on Savannah.

I bite my bottom lip nervously. “What if he doesn’t care how I feel?” What if he tells me he’s changed his mind? That it’s not love he feels for me?

“You have to try.” I look up at Savannah. “I know you better than you know yourself. And although I’m pissed at Blane, I agree with him. You’ll never know what you’ve lost unless you know what he’s willing to offer you.” She smiles softly. “At least give yourselves a chance to try.”

I nod my head at her. “I gotta go,” I say turning away from them and walking to the garage. I pause when I open the door and see his Corvette is gone and I don’t have a car here. I turn to ask Blane if I can borrow whatever he drove to get here when I see Case’s keys to a truck hanging on a nail on the wall. They go to the exact same black GMC parked in the garage. It has to be Case’s because I know it sure as hell isn’t my brother’s. Making up my mind, I grab them and close the door behind me. Not even caring that I’m still dressed in Case’s clothes and haven’t had a shower.

***

I walk around the hospital for over forty-five minutes trying to find Brecken’s room. Every nurse I ask looks at me with a confused expression when I ask for Brecken. So I quit asking and just start looking. I know he’s in the ICU, but I never thought that could consist of so many rooms.

So I was extremely excited when I opened a door and there he was lying in a bed. But my excitement fell when I saw Case wasn’t in there with him.

“He went to get some coffee,” Brecken all but whispers when he looks over to see me.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” When I looked in here, his eyes were shut.

“You’re fine. Don’t get much sleep in here when the nurses come in to poke at you every thirty damn minutes,” he mumbles.

I smile at how good he looks for someone who was just shot. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been shot in the chest,” he growls

I chuckle. “Well, you look good,” I offer. He has several machines hooked up to his chest, an IV in his right arm. The machines chirp loudly, and I can see how hard it would be to get some rest in here.

“Thanks. But I have a feeling you didn’t come here to see me.”

“I need to talk to Case,” I say looking at the floor.

He chuckles and then hisses in a breath at the pain it causes him. “He won’t shut up about you.” I look up at him. “Another reason I can’t get any sleep.”

“Is he telling you how much he hates me?” I ask softly.

“Stupid girl,” he whispers with a smirk. “He loves you.” His eyes slide to mine. “And you love him.”

“I don’t know him,” I say in denial.

“What is there to know?” he asks in all seriousness.

“Well, for starters, his real name.”

“Why?” he asks as if that’s crazy. “It’s just a name.” I go to say something, but he continues. “Plus. He already told you that,” he says matter-of-factly.

I narrow my eyes on him. “Does he tell you everything?”

“Yes,” he replies simply.

I run a hand through my hair. “Well, that’s not enough,” I reply sharply. “He hasn’t told me about his family …”

“He doesn’t have a family,” he replies as he tries to sit up in his bed. I walk over to him and help him adjust his pillow, as he gets comfortable.

“Yes, he does,” I say once he’s situated. “I saw the picture. I’ve tried to ask about them before and he shuts me down. And his sister … I saw her in a picture at his house.” I sigh heavily. “Who doesn’t want to talk about their family?”