Page 56 of Twisted Redemption

Because he’s here. He ran all the way from the house to find me. And now, with him holding me like this, I can pretend that I didn’t abandon him a year ago. I can pretend that I never begged for his forgiveness, and that he never rejected my apology.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he murmurs. “No one will see us before tomorrow.”

“What?”

He backs me up until I’m sandwiched between him and a tree. The bark digs into my back, but I barely feel it.

“Daisy,” he whispers. Both of his hands are in my hair now, careful to avoid my cut. He presses another kiss to my jawbone, and my knees almost give out.

Why is he doing this to me?

“What won’t matter tomorrow?”

He doesn’t answer, instead leaning his forehead against mine. His eyes are closed.

Don’t kiss me. You can’t kiss me.

You’re engaged, Blaze. Don’t do this.

“Blaze—”

His lips brush mine, and I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t shoot sparks through my whole body. But I push him away until there’s enough space between us.

I’m pretty sure the only thing holding me up right now is the tree, because my whole body feels tingly and weak. And he didn’t even kiss me all the way.

But the fading electricity in my veins doesn’t stop the anger that twists in with it.

“What the fuck was that?” I hiss.

He takes a deep breath, his eyes closing. “Daisy, I—”

“No,” I snap. “Enough. You say I lost the right to care about you? You lost the right to call me Daisy. And you fucking know it.”

Any tenderness disappears from his face, replaced by that cold, emotionless facade I’ve become all too familiar with over the past year.

“I’ve been trying to understand, Blaze. I’ve been trying really fucking hard. But my heart can’t take it anymore. One second, you’re acting like you used to, like nothing has changed between us. And then the next, you’re back to treating me like you wished I didn’t exist. I can’t handle it. Why, Blaze? Why do you keep doing this?”

He raises an eyebrow, watching me with a disinterested gaze. And it rips a fucking hole in my heart.

“Why are you marrying her if you want me, Blaze? And why are you acting like you hate me if you really want me?”

“Lots of questions,” he says, leaning against a tree and shoving his hands into his pockets. “Since we’re having a go at it, I have a couple, too.”

I swallow, bracing myself for the worst.

“Why can’t you fucking take care of yourself? Keep yourself safe? Hmm? Can’t even do the bare minimum. You didn’t let anyone know when David threatened you. Why was that? You do realize that you could be dead, right? Or he could be keeping you locked up in his basement for all we know.”

I press myself further into the tree at my back, wishing it would swallow me whole. My body is heavy with dread. Because I don’t recognize the man in front of me. This isn’t my Blaze at all. This is a man so consumed with bitterness that he’s lost in it. Drowning in it.

He continues, taking a step forward. “Your fucking security system would be going to waste if I didn’t turn it on for you. Half the time you forget to use it, and I swear the rest of the time you purposefully don’t turn it on. And now you’re venturing outside my protection even though you were attacked two days ago. You know you’re in danger, yet you actively do nothing to keep yourself safe. Why?”

Anger mixes with my dread. Or maybe it never left. Does he really not understand? Does he really not see it? “Blaze, don’t—”

“Answer the damn question, Daisy. Why do you keep practically throwing yourself in harm’s way?”

The way he says my nickname—in such a taunting tone—makes me lose it. I stalk forward until I’m right in front of him.

“Because I want you to care about me,” I yell, jabbing a finger at his chest. “And because the only time I can convince myself that you do is when you’re trying to keep me safe. I miss you, Blaze. I miss who we used to be. Why do you refuse to see that?”

---