Page 66 of Some Cowboys Fight for Love

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Aria

Aria lost track of time as the tears spilled down her cheeks. The second Daniel had left, she leaned her back against the door and slid down into a heap of misery. Drawing up her knees to her chest, she buried her face atop them and let her walls come crashing down.

She was miserable.

While Cayden wasn’t doing anything to physically hurt her, nor had he reverted to the person who put her down and made her feel like she wasn’t worth anything—yet—he was still controlling her life.

Little by little she had noticed his patience with her waning. She knew the signs. And now that he knew how to maintain that control, she wasn’t sure what she could do to fix it. She’d come up with several solutions that she eventually tossed aside.

She couldn’t call the cops. What would they do anyway? It was Cayden’s word against hers. She’d gone that route before—back in Georgia. And no one believed her.

Running was out of the question because he knew he could hurt her family… and Daniel.

Aria had nothing left.

A knock pounded on the door and she groaned. Daniel needed to learn to listen to her. He needed to finally accept what she’d accepted the moment Cayden had found her.

Intent on ignoring him this time, she remained quiet and seated on the floor.

He knocked again. Then harder.

“Aria! Let me in. I know you’re up. I saw Daniel leave.”

Her head snapped up. It wasn’t Daniel.

Sophia’s frustrated yell penetrated through the door clear as day.

Aria scrambled to her feet and unlocked the door, with shaking hands, to let her cousin in without giving it a second thought. But she immediately regretted it.

Sophia’s eyes swept over her face, lingering on the tears that were still visible. Her brows pinched. “Did Daniel?—”

“What? No! Of course not.” If Sophia thought Daniel was capable of hurting her, she didn’t know him well at all. “He didn’t do anything.”

Sophia shivered, reminding them both that she was out in the cold in the middle of autumn in Colorado. Aria stepped to the side and beckoned her cousin to come in. She was probably going to regret doing so, but at this point, she didn’t feel she had much of a choice of anything anymore.

Sophia stared at her hard, not bothering to take a seat. They stood there, by the now closed door, in silence. Whatever Sophia had come to say, it was clear she wasn’t sure how to press forward.

Aria wanted to scream at her to get on with it or leave. She needed to have a good cry and not worry about being judged by her cousin. But most of all, she wanted to get it all out inthe open, chase down Daniel, and plead for him to accept her apology.

Time stretched on longer than it should have. The silence between them grew to a deafening roar. All of Aria’s problems came rushing to the surface, threatening to overflow until she couldn’t take it any longer.

Tears sprang to her eyes once more and her face crumpled as a sob wracked her body. “I love him.” Those were the only words that she could force past her lips.

Sophia was at her side in an instant, pulling her into her arms and rubbing her back as Aria continued to release all the pent-up emotion she’d been burying since the moment Cayden had found her.

By the time the tears stopped flowing, they were both seated on the couch.

“Are you going to tell me what’s really going on?” Sophia asked quietly. “Because I find it really hard to believe that you would agree to marry Cayden if you’re in love with someone else—unless Cayden is forcing you against your will.”

Aria grimaced, and Sophia stiffened at her side.

“That’s it, isn’t it? Cayden has something over you. He’s blackmailing you.” Her voice was hushed, but there was no denying the rage that hovered in the air between them. “What is it? Tell me what he has on you, and I’ll get Mateo to?—”

“No!” Aria all but yelled. “You can’t do anything. It’s not about me, not really.”

Confusion filtered through Sophia’s rage-filled expression. “What do you mean it’s not about you?”

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