Page 78 of The Lies We Told Ourselves

I pushed my hair back from my face, my fingers raking through the lengths in desperation. A sensible person would leave. They’d take their troubles with them and get the hell out of town.

As I looked up into Booker’s understanding eyes, I knew that was the last thing I wanted to do. I loved him so much. Leaving him would be worse than anything else I’d been through. But Booker was hurt because I’d blown into his life and turned everything upside down. I couldn’t let that happen again.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he told me sternly, his eyes darting side to side as he searched my gaze. “This isn’t your fault, Reece. We’ll deal with it.I’lldeal with it. And then we’ll go on and live our lives together. Happy, like you were always supposed to be.”

I reached up for his cheek, brushing my fingers across his face, trying to find the words to tell him everything I was feeling.

“Just tell me his name,” Booker whispered. “Start with that, and we’ll figure it out.”

“Camden Carter,” I whispered.

It was so much easier than I’d thought it would be. Looking into Booker’s eyes, I doubted I’d ever be able to find somethingto be afraid of. My fingers trailed up to his hair, and I made sure to stay away from the stitches that started just inside his hairline. It hurt to look at his injuries, to see the deep color of the bruise that was starting to cover his cheek, extending to his jaw and disappearing into his beard. Under his shirt was probably even worse, and I didn’t know if I could face them. Face seeing the evidence of what I’d caused.

“Why are you scared of him?” he asked quietly.

“Because he’s untouchable,” I admitted. My voice sounded flat and expressionless, but I kept staring into Booker’s eyes, soaking in the safety that I found there. I could get through anything if I let myself get lost in those beautiful eyes.

“No one’s untouchable,” Booker said confidently.

“Yes, they are. And it’s not what you think. He’s not part of some crime family or anything. It’s worse than that.”

“He’s rich,” Booker said, like the whole thing was so obvious. I supposed it was for him. It was the reason his own family had fallen apart.

Money. It never changed people for the better.

Unless you were someone like Booker.

“It’s not just that,” I told him. “His father is the governor. He can do anything. No one will stop him. They don’t want to end up on the wrong side of his father’s politics. I’ve seen it happen, Booker. The police won’t touch him. It’s not worth the trouble. It’s why I left and never reported anything. It wouldn’t have gained me anything, and he’d have just known I was leaving. The only option I had was to leave quietly and hope I could get far enough before he knew I was gone. Except I didn’t get very far. Still, I don’t know how he found me.”

“Maybe he hired someone to track you down.” Booker shrugged. “Maybe it’s for the best. I don’t give a fuck who his father is, and I think me and Camden Carter are long overdue for a conversation.”

I could see the fury brewing in his eyes, and with my fingers, I smoothed out the frown lines on his forehead.

“I should leave,” I whispered, hating the words as they slipped through my lips. “If I go, he’ll follow me. I can disappear…”

“No.”

His abrupt denial made me smile. It brought back memories of our early days together.

“We can have tonight,” I told him sadly. “Tomorrow, I have to leave.”

I leaned in to kiss him. Booker had to see that this was for the best. I couldn’t bring this kind of trouble to his door. Maybe, one day, I could come back. Governors didn’t stay in power forever, and Camden wasn’t going to chase me all over the country. He’d get bored after a while and move on to some other poor girl.

“I’ll give you tonight,” Booker said, his lips brushing across mine. “But then I want the next night and every night that comes after it. You’re not going anywhere, Reece. I love you. I’m not letting you go just because this douchebag thinks he has some kind of right over you. If you can tell me you don’t feel the same way, if you can look me in the eye and tell me you really want to leave, then I’ll let you go. I won’t hold you here against your will. But I know you, Reece. I know your heart, and I know it beats in time with mine.”

My eyelashes fluttered as I tried to hold back the tears.

“How did the man who used to only say no to every one of my questions suddenly learn how to say something so beautiful?” I asked, sighing as he gently kissed me.

“I’ve heard being kicked in the head by a horse can cause brain damage,” he murmured cheekily.

“I love you, Booker.”

“I love you more.”

Booker moved back, pulling me onto the mattress as he leaned over me, his good hand brushing the hair from my face.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. You’re kind, generous, and you’d do anything to help the people around you. You got my busted-up old heart to beat again. Stay with me, baby. Let me try to earn a place by your side. If you really want to go, if you really can’t bear to stay, I’ll sell it all. I’ll give it all away if I have to and come with you.”

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