Page 69 of Counterfeit Connection

She blows a breath up toward her eyes in a vain attempt to dry them. I stroke the side of her knee with the back of my hand in a lame attempt at comforting her. “How do you do it? People know what you eat for breakfast. They know what size underwear you have practically. If you have spinach in your teeth, your dentist finds out. How the fuck can someone judge someone and make fucking assumptions when they don’t even know you? It’s bullshit and inhuman.”

I rest my forehead against her thigh. “You read them.”

“Yes and no,” I sigh. “Mika sent me a gallery full of screenshots. I’m a gold digger. I’m a cow. I’m uneducated. I’m ugly. They’re even going after my parents. It’s a bigger cesspool than I could have even imagined.”

“Fucking hell. Why would a friend send them to you? I’d think they’d want to protect you, not harm you. I’m going to have a little chat with several people when we get back.”

“No!” I yell. “That’s not your responsibility.”

“Taking care of you isn’t my responsibility? You’re my girlfriend. That lands you square in my responsibility.”

Hold on.

What did I just say?

Kaitlyn’s face is somewhat obscured by the sun shining down from above her. The silence seems to let me know what I’m afraid to see. She presses her weight into her right foot and dismounts Rocket. This is the first time I can see her clearly. Dried tears stain her cheeks, which are flushed pink by the sun.

“That’s what I was talking about, Griffin. Things seem…complicated. I think if we have the endgame in mind, it will be less confusing for both of us.”

The thought makes my heart constrict. I have to make a conscious effort not to place my hand on my chest to dull the ache. It hurts, but if that’s what she needs to feel better, if having that will help her, then that’s what I’ll give her.

“Maybe you’re right. It’s too open-ended right now.”

I can see her throat bob as she swallows, like she’s holding more tears at bay.

She nods. “Mika wasn’t trying to hurt me, Griffin. She was angry at the comments. She and I are very open with each other. She was just being a friend.”

I step up to her with an arm outstretched. “I’m going to hug you. Is that all right?”

She wipes her face with the back of her hand. “Just because we’re going to talk about the end doesn’t mean you have to ask to touch me. I’m giving you carte blanche.”

I barely hesitate to close the distance and wrap her in a hug, resting my chin atop the crown of her head. Even in her sadness, she radiates warmth. It’s a warmth unlike anything I’ve ever felt in my life. It’s not the warm body next to you after sex feeling. It’s more. So much more.

“My instinct has always been, even before we knew each other at all, to protect you. Please don’t expect me not to.”

“I know. Even when I get mad, I appreciate it.”

“As for your request, I can’t give you a date or time. What I can tell you is, it will be dignified and respectful of you, me, and our time spent together.” What I really want to say to her is that I can’t imagine a time where she won’t be by my side and in my life. It’s nothing she’ll be able to hear.

“I’m okay with that. I mean, other than things like this, we don’t fight. We’ll have to find private time to figure it out. Obviously, now isn’t the right time for a number of reasons.”

“Kaitlyn, right now, I only want to see you enjoy the time we have with your family. I know how much you’ve missed themand it fills your cup to be with them and in this place. I can see why. You have an amazing father.”

She smiles. “He is pretty incredible.”

I lean back a little and cradle her jaw in my hand. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

She rolls her eyes. “I just said you had carte—”

I cut her off, sealing my lips to hers.

Our time together just had the rip cord pulled. The clock is officially ticking, no matter how much I try to ignore it.

Chapter 21

Kaitlyn

My bed is cold and it rouses me from the perfectly suitable sleep I was having.

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