Page 67 of Second Goal

“It’s over,” I say softly, leaning against Blake, exhaustion consuming me.

His lips press against the top of my head, and I fall into his warmth, cocooned in the strength of his embrace. I must fall asleep because when I open my eyes again, he’s carrying me into his apartment.

“Sorry,” I mumble, groggily. Pax and Lady prance around Blake’s feet, whimpering like they know something bad happened.

“Don’t apologize. You’ve been through hell today. Just sleep.”

“I need to shower.” Need to get Amy’s blood off of me.

He nods, taking me to the bathroom and setting me down, before turning on the water. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”

“Blake,” I stop him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Everything and nothing,” I tell him.

He steps toward me. “What can I do?”

“Don’t leave.”

He searches my eyes, then nods. Slowly, he helps me undress before stripping out of his own clothes. He helps me into the shower, and he uses shampoo to clean my hands, my arms, then gently washes my hair, fingers massaging my scalp.

When he’s done, his arms wrapped around me, and we stand under the warm water for a long time.

Images of the day flash through my mind, but I don’t push them away. I need to process everything, so I start to talk, telling Blake every small detail that happened.

He flinches when I describe the sound of the first shot, and his body tenses when I tell him about running into the school and hiding.

“I’m just glad you’re okay.” His chin rests on top of my head and I feel his whole body tremble.

“Amy said something before Cruz shot her...”

“What?” he pulls back, looking down at me.

“She said that Lucy is still alive.”

His jaw tics. “And you believe her?”

“I’m not sure. But I need to find out.”

“Okay.” He kisses my forehead. “I’ll help you.”

“Thank you.”

“Anything you ask for, anything you need, you know I’ll give it to you.”

They aren’t just words. I see the truth in his eyes. The intense need to keep me safe, to make me happy.

“I thought it’d be easier to be away from you. That I was protecting myself... protecting you. But I was wrong.”

“I’m the one who fucked up, Kiley.” He pushes my damp hair off my face. “I should have trusted you.”

“I kept things from you. I know why you thought those things of me.”

“You’re wrong. I didn’t believe it. I just let my fear control me, and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

“I love you.”

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