I found Kash outside pacing back and forth with his hands in his nearly black hair. When I stepped outside and shut the door behind me, he stopped pacing, and after a few seconds, turned to face me.

“I’ll never forgive myself for what he did—”

“Stop,” I begged and stepped up to him, wrapping my arms around his narrow waist. “Just stop. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.”

“Rachel, I let all that happen to you!”

I had to blink back tears when I brought my left hand up to his right shoulder, then down a little onto his chest. Even through the shirt, I could feel the scarred skin from the gunshot wounds. “Then I let this happen to you,” I murmured and stared, fixated on my fingers as they lightly brushed against the fabric covering the scars.

He brushed strands of hair away from my face, and held my hair back. “No you didn’t, this had nothing to do with you.”

“It’s only fair; if what happened to me is your fault, then what happened to you is mine.”

A low growl built up in the back of his throat. “I was supposed to be protecting you, and I—”

I crushed my mouth to his to stop whatever he had been about to say, and waited until I felt his body relax beneath my fingertips. “It wasn’t your fault, and it wasn’t mine. We can’t keep doing this, Kash. We’re moving on with our lives and we’re moving on from what happened. Okay?”

He stayed silent as his gray eyes bounced back and forth between mine.

“No more blaming yourself,” I pleaded and kissed him softly again before letting my forehead rest against his.

“Fine.” He sighed heavily after another minute. “I’m sorry about their questions. They weren’t supposed to ask you anything about it. Mason and I told them that at least a dozen times.”

“Really it’s fine, they deserve to know. It’s a weird situation all around, and I had more information that they wanted . . . I’m sure they still want more details. But the details I have won’t change anything for them.”

Kash got silent again before pressing his lips to my forehead. “You’re amazing for reliving that . . . and you handled it well. But don’t feel like you need to answer their questions. Mase and I have answered enough. And that’s not what tonight was about. They’re like my second family, and they’ve been dying to meet you for months.”

“I like them. They’re really nice, and Maddie is hilarious. Another girl that doesn’t put up with your shit is great in my book.”

He laughed when I pushed against his toned stomach. “I’m sorry for getting frustrated.”

I took a few steps back and grabbed his hand to pull him with me. “Don’t be, let’s just go back in there and enjoy the rest of the night. Deal?”

He drew me back to his body and kissed me firmly. “Deal.”

About the Author

MOLLY McADAMS grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband and furry four-legged daughter. Her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach . . . which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes.

www.mollysmcadams.com

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