“Nicole.”

The name makes my skin break out in goosebumps and I stare at him wide-eyed. “What did you say?”

“Nicole,” he repeats with a long sigh. “That’s his sister’s name.”

My brows pull together in confusions. “That is the name he has tattooed on his wrist.”

He nods. “Nicole was his sister.”

“Was?” I ask in horror.

He looks away from me and stares straight ahead at the white wall for a few seconds. “Nicole was his twin sister …” He pauses. “And the love of my life.”

I feel my legs give out, and I find myself falling into the chair next to his bed. Case’s twin sister? Brecken was in love with her?

He looks over at me with a small smile on his lips. “I was fifteen and was new to their town. Nicole was in my first period. She turned to me and introduced herself. I actually told her the wrong name.” He chuckles. “She had me tongue tied. She was so beautiful. And the way her hand fit in mine. I fell in love right then and there. It was love at first sight if you can believe in that type of thing.” He shrugs. “But what did I know? I was fifteen. The next day was a Friday. And she had on a little cheerleading uniform. I knew what I had to do. I joined the football team. That was when I met Case. He was just as nice as Nicole, but not as great to stare at.” I let out a laugh. “We became best friends, and it only took me three miserably long months to prove to Nicole that I was the guy for her.”

“How did she die?” I ask softly.  He looks at me in question. “You said she was his sister. Something had to have happened to her.”

He nods. “But that is not my story to tell.” I open my mouth, but he speaks. “I told you who she was because she is a big part of my life. But the only thing I’m gonna tell you about her is the part she played in my life. Case needs to tell you how her life changed his.”

I look down to my hands in my lap. “He probably won’t tell me.”

“You never know until you ask.” He moves around a little more. “Go find him.”

“How am I going to find him? I’ll just wait for him to come back here.”

“He likes to drink his coffee outside. Go check the entrance of the hospital.”

I smile over at him. “Thanks, Brecken …” I pause. “Is that your real name?”

He smirks but doesn’t answer. I smile at him, but don’t push the subject because it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a name, right?

***

I see Case standing outside the entrance of the hospital before the doors even open to allow me out. He’s standing with his back against a pillar and his head tilted back with his eyes closed as the night covers him in darkness.

“Tired?” I ask coming up in front of him.

His eyes pop open, and he looks at me in surprise. “Taylor. What are you doing here?” he demands after the shock fades.

I take a deep breath. “I want to know you, Case.”

“Not this again,” he huffs. “It doesn’t matter who I am.”

I place my hand on his chest. His eyes narrow on mine, and his heart is beating quickly. Is that because of me? Because mine is beating hard because of him. “It does matter,” I say softly. I take a deep breath and let it out. “Case, I love you.” My bottom lip trembles in fear, and my eyes start to sting from tears. “And that is crazy because I don’t know who you are. I am in love with a man who has done nothing but lie to me.” He swallows. “A man I know nothing about.” A tear slides down my face, and he reaches up to wipe it away.

He lowers his face down to mine, and if it’s even possible, his heart beats harder against my hand. “You love me?” His breath lands on my lips, and I shiver.

“Of course,” I whisper. Reaching up with my free hand, I place it on his cheek. His facial hair rough against my palm. “Why do you think I care so much about who you really are?” I ask softly.

“What if you hate the real me?” he asks, closing his eyes as if it that thought would be unbearable.

“I already love you,” I reply. “Knowing the real you could only make me love you even more.”

He opens his eyes and looks at me. I see the fear in his eyes. The thought of me walking away from him when I find out who he really is. But I’m not worried. Not one bit. So I add, “You don’t have to hide from me, Tyler.” I use his real name because we need to start somewhere and this is as good a place as any is. But he flinches when I say it. And I have a feeling there’s a story behind why he goes by Case. “I already know you are willing to risk your lives for others. I already know you would do anything to make sure that people you don’t even know are safe. And I know that no matter what your past consists of, I wanna stand by your side.”

He stares at me for a long moment, and I hold my breath. Just when I think I may fall to the ground due to dizziness from not breathing, his lips land on mine. Breathing life into me. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he kisses me with desperation. His arms grip me as if I will pull away at any second, his body pushing into mine. I deepen the kiss letting him know just how much I love him. Letting him know that no matter what he has to tell me, I’ll still be here.

He pulls away first, and I take one deep breath after another. “I love you too, Taylor,” he whispers against my lips. I let out a little sob even as I wanna scream out in joy. “Please believe me when I say I’m sorry.”

“I believe you.” We never planned on this. And it must have been hard for him not to tell me. I don’t know what I would have done if I had been the one to lie. If I had been the one afraid he would leave me.

His lips brush mine softly this time just giving me a soft kiss. “How did you get here?” he asks as his brows pull together.

“I drove your truck.”

He lets out a chuckle. “Go back to my house. I’ll be there soon.”

“You’re not coming now?” I frown.

He pulls away from me and shakes his head. “I need to stay here with Brecken. But I promise I will come back.”

I smile. “I’m gonna hold you to that promise.”

He runs his thumb over my bottom lip, and he smiles back. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

 

CASE

I’m a nervous wreck. My hands are sweaty, and my heart pounds in my chest. How am I gonna tell her about my past? A past I spend every day trying to forget? Telling it is gonna be like placing a knife to my chest and slowly stabbing myself. In order to give her what she wants, I’m gonna have to bleed myself emotionally dry. But she deserves that. She deserves for you to rip yourself open in order to make her understand why you couldn’t tell her the truth.

I take a deep breath and twist the doorknob to my bedroom. I open it up to find her lying in my bed asleep. I let out a long breath. Of course, she is; it’s three in the morning. I spent most of the night at the hospital with Brecken. Then on my way home, I found myself taking the longest way possible. I even made wrong turns to avoid this conversation for a minute longer. But somehow, I found my way to her. She came after me today to tell me how she felt. It’s my turn to do the same.

I remove my clothes quietly and make my way under the covers with her. I wrap my arms around her and pull her into me, letting out a sigh.

“Your heart is beating really fast.”

I look over at her, and her eyes are wide open staring up at me. “I thought you were asleep.” A man could hope.

“I heard you come in.”

I arch an eyebrow. “You were pretending,” I muse.

“Maybe,” she whispers.

“Why would you do that?”

She removes herself from my arms, and I don’t try to stop her. She pulls back the covers, gets up, and straddles my hips. Both my eyebrows raise to my hairline. “I thought …”

She places her finger over my lips, quieting me. “We have plenty of time to talk.” She leans down, her bare chest laying on mine. “Right now, I want you to touch me.” She reaches out; grabbing my wrists, she places my hands on her hips. I gladly grab a hold of them. She leans up just a bit, and her hair brushes my chest as she hovers over me. She then places her hands flat on my chest and runs her fingers down my chest and stomach. I arch my back and grip her hips as her nails try to tear my skin open. She always makes me burn when she touches me.