Page 110 of Tragic (Lark Cove 3)

How did you forgive someone who stole a piece of you? How did you forgive someone who you loved and trusted completely but hadn’t hesitated when the time came to stab you in the back?

Forgiveness? Not happening. Mom didn’t know what she was asking for either. Three years and the pain and rage I’d felt was as strong as ever. I’d just managed to bury it deep. If I let it go, I didn’t know what would happen. The last time I’d thought about him, I’d taken a chainsaw to a chair.

I could have killed myself or Piper that night.

“Where do you go?” Piper whispered. “When you get so lost in your own head, where do you go?”

Where did I go?

To the past. To the places and people who haunted me.

I broke my eyes away from the road as Piper swiped a tear from her cheek. The sadness on her face made everything worse. I was hurting her. I’d promised to care for her, and instead I was causing her pain. I wasn’t doing right by her or the boys.

When you were broken, breaking others wasn’t all that difficult.

Maybe it would be best if I kept my distance for a few more months. My stomach churned at the idea of leaving them. But what other choice did I have?

A few days apart would do us both some good. Things had happened so quickly; our lives had changed so much these past few months. We could each use time to process it all.

Piper swiped another tear. I hadn’t answered her question.

There was nothing to say.

I focused on the road, driving us safely home as Piper dried the occasional tear. When we pulled into the garage, she was out of the door before I shut off the engine. She slammed it closed behind her, then did the same with the door that led inside.

“Son of a bitch.”

I was ruining this. Just last night I’d told her that she was the most important person in my life. She’d asked me for a label, and I’d given her one. But who was I kidding? I didn’t know the first thing about being part of a couple.

I shut off her Tahoe and went inside. I’d expected to find Piper in the living room or kitchen, but as I passed the guest bedroom, the sound of sniffling and rustling clothes caught my attention. When I reached the doorway, I found Piper running back and forth between the closet and the bed.

She was taking my clothes out of the closet and putting them into the duffel bag that they’d come over in.

“What are you doing?”

“I think you need this.” She grabbed the stack of jeans she’d folded for me two nights ago when we’d been at the kitchen island, folding laundry. She tossed them on the bed, undoing all the folding.

Undoing us.

“Need what?”

“To run away.”

“What? No.” I stepped into the room, stopping her before she could go back to the closet for more. “I don’t want to run away.”

“But maybe you should.” She looked up at me with glassy eyes. “I mean, you just had a panic attack, Kaine.”

“No. I just . . . I just needed a second.” Panic attack sounded so serious. “It was just a shock.” Wasn’t it?

“No, it wasn’t. And it’s my fault. I’ve been pushing so hard, wanting you to open up to me on my timeline. But my timeline doesn’t matter. You matter. So maybe you need to run away. Get some space and get okay with everything. When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here. If you decide you don’t want to talk, I’ll still be here.”

This woman. She’d figured me out so quickly.

Except she was dead wrong. I was dead wrong. I didn’t need space to come to terms with my past. What I needed was her.

I wanted her to have all my pieces, even the ugly, misshapen ones.

“I’m scared.”