Page 49 of Give Me Redemption

“It’s not the worst, but I’m not feeling pizza. Let’s go eat at Hudson’s.”

She shrugs. “Okay.” She leaves the pizza and I turn around, almost tripping over a fucking furball.

“Jesus,” I say, catching myself on the wall, glad I

didn’t smush the cat.

Michelle lets out a big laugh, and when I look back, her whole face is lit up.

“You think that’s funny?” I ask her with a grin.

“I almost killed your cat.”

“Nah, he’s tough,” she says, smiling and walking

over to pick up the cat. “Aren’t you, Slim?”

“Slim?” I ask, looking at her weird. “That’s probably the fattest cat I’ve ever seen.”

“Hey, you’ll hurt his feelings,” she says, giving him a kiss before putting him down.

I hold my hand out for her. She looks down at it for a split moment before sliding hers with mine.

“I don’t think you should be too hard on your brother,” she says. “He was older than you when the car crash happened. He probably looks at things a little differently.”

“He fucking lied to me, Michelle.”

“Call me Dalton,” she says.

“What?” I ask.

“My last name’s Dalton.”

I smirk. “Okay.”

We head out of the apartment, down to my truck, and to Hudson’s, our regular spot now.

And I don’t know for sure, or if I even should think this, but I feel like we just got a little closer.

Chapter Twenty-One

Harlow

I don’t know what I’m doing. I really, really don’t know what I’m doing. I sit at my desk with a coffee and a headache. It’s therapy day, and I don’t think I’m skipping out this time.

Ways that I’ve messed up:

I’ve told the man my last name.

I’ve agreed to take things farther when I know this can never go anywhere.

I’ve let him kiss me.

I know I wanted it, but that’s not the point. The point is this is my job. This was not supposed to be anything more.

The point is, when he finds out what I’m really doing, he’s going to hate me.

He’s going to truly hate me.

---