Chapter Seventeen
Dani
I wanted to lie, just as he demanded, but I found I couldn’t. Wade, after all, wasn’t the one who caused me so much pain. He was collateral damage, a reminder of what had all gone so wrong when I was too young to have the emotional fortitude to manage it well.
The playful glint in his eyes faded, and he eased his grip on my hair. His touch gentled as his hand cupped the back of my neck lightly. “What is it, baby? I see how hard you’re thinking.”
Emotion coursed through me, and I shook my head sharply.
“Not gonna lie?” he asked, all teasing traces gone from his voice.
“No,” I whispered, letting my forehead fall against his strong and solid chest.
The boy I once fancied myself falling in love with held me as the man he was now. Somehow, he just knew talking was
