Page 96 of Tangled

“Yeah, I’m okay, hun. I’m just having a bad day,” I reply on a weak smile and then make my way around her.

“Did Mr. Garrison make you cry? ‘Cause if he did, we’ll beat him up for you,” she exclaims as murmurs of promise filter through the class.

“What? Why would you think that?” I ask nervously.

“Come on, Miss Walsh. We all know you two were dating. It was so obvious by the way you made googly eyes at each other every time you saw one another around campus,” she rolls her eyes as the rest of the students giggle and nod in agreement.

I shake my head and chuckle. I guess Kane and I weren’t as stealth about our relationship as I thought we were.

“No, Mr. Garrison didn’t make me cry. But relationships are hard and sometimes miscommunication can cause problems and disagreements,” I sigh and attempt to start the class.

“But are you guys going to be okay?” Daisy begs for reassurance as she cuts me off. “You two are so cute together. The whole school wants you to get married. We even created a hashtag for you on social media,” her wide smile blinds me as her look of hope stares me down.

“What?” I laugh as the kids start gossiping amongst themselves.

“Yeah, #WAG and #teacherlove,” she beams and scrolls through her phone, showing me her Twitter feed comprising other students’ messages about Kane and me. There are a few pictures of the two of us near one another—one of us from the pep rally that really seems to be quite popular—with captions guessing what we’re thinking or talking about.

“What does #WAG stand for?” I ask, sitting on top of the desk next to her as the students talk and I resolve that not much learning will happen today.

“Walsh and Garrison,” she grins, which makes me do the same.

“This is really sweet, and also kind of creepy, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to speak about our relationship with students. I appreciate your support though,” I tease commanding the attention of the class and handing out the assignment for the day.

Listening to the kids talk about how perfect we are for each other just made the ache in my chest magnify throughout the course of the day—because I know we’re perfect for each other. But I have no idea whether that’s enough for us to move past the T.J. twist. Although I know it was important for Trevor to give me an apology, part of me wishes he would have just stayed in California and owned his mistakes, instead of bringing his turmoil here and spreading it around like wildfire. Apparently he’s good at leaving a trail of ash and soot where he’s burned those closest to him.

By the time I make it home, I’m exhausted. Between the emotional rollercoaster I’m on and the tiny human inside of me draining me of energy, I barely make it to the couch after changing my clothes. As soon as my head hits the cushions, I fall asleep, not even remembering when I closed my eyes.

I dream of Kane—his touch, his kiss, the feeling of being wrapped in his arms. I think back to that first night at Tony’s, when all I saw him as was a decadent indulgence my mind and body craved. The morning he rescued me from the crickets will still remain one of my fondest memories though as I recall wanting to punch him and then climb him like a tree when his quick wit and banter made me furious and turned on at the same time. I replay the night at his house when he finally opened up to me and let me in—into his home, his mind, his body—and the victory I felt as his walls finally crumbled.

I thought that was it. I thought that after he said those words out loud—the reason he was so scared to open his heart up again—that all the obstacles we faced were out of the way.

Boy, was I wrong.

Now, I’m carrying his baby and he doesn’t know. I’m completely in love with him, and he doesn’t know. And I want him until the end of forever—and he doesn’t know.

A sound in my dreams pulls me awake, until I open my eyes and realize the knock at the door is real, even though it felt like a part of the movie playing in my head.

Pushing myself up off the couch, I wrap my navy sweater around me and trudge to the door, yawning wide as I open it and freeze when I see who’s there.

“Hi, beautiful,” Kane says in that deep, sultry voice that I missed more than anything.

And I instantly cry, gut-wrenching sobs wracking my body as Kane steps inside and pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me, and holding onto me with such force, it finally makes me feel like I can crumble and he’ll be there to catch me before I fall.

“Shhhh, it’s okay. I’m here, baby,” he whispers against the shell of my ear, pulling me in close so we’re touching on every possible surface of our bodies. He shuts the door behind us and walks me slowly back over to the couch while keeping me wrapped up in him. When he motions for us to take a seat, I nervously release him as if he’ll run right back out of my apartment and I’ll lose him all over again.

Once we sit, I crawl into his lap and he encompasses me in his chest, holding me so tight while I release all the sorrow I’ve felt over the past few days. I lose track of time and don’t dare to speak—all I want is to soak in this feeling of being back in his arms again, where everything feels right.

“Liv,” he finally breaks the silence, rubbing his hands along my back. “We need to talk, baby, and I want to see your eyes when we do,” he softly consoles me, urging me to sit up.

I manage to push myself upright and wipe my eyes free of the tears clouding my vision as I take him in, this handsome man who is fragile and bruised, but sturdy and brave, and back in front of me, ready to face our challenges. His beard is longer than usual, his eyes darkened by his past and lack of rest. If he’s been feeling anything like I have, I’m sure he’s been missing sleep too. His lips curl up just slightly in a smile—a small sliver of hope that the discussion we’re about to have won’t leave me breathless and broken.

“Kane, I’m so sorry. I swear, I had no idea Trevor was your T.J.. He just showed up, and I…”

Kane places a finger over my lips, silencing me as he shakes his head. His eyes narrow while they bounce back and forth between mine.

“Don’t you dare apologize to me, Olivia. You did nothing wrong here. I am the wrong one. I’m the one who ran when I saw T.J. and didn’t respect you enough to talk to you about everything I was feeling. I just needed some space to gather my thoughts, but leaving you in the dark wasn’t right, and I will forever regret that.”

“Kane, it’s okay… I just wanted to talk to you so desperately. I needed you to know that I was just as much in the dark as you were. And I had NO intention of taking him back, regardless of what he had to say. That wasn’t the reason he was here, anyway, but I promise you, Kane… you are the man I want,” I choke through my tears as Kane reaches up to brush them from my cheeks and push back my wild hair.

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