Page 80 of Into the Woods

His eyes shut, as if pained by my confession. “Every time I looked out my window and saw your house, it made me sick. Sick and angry. I was so furious for so long.”

“Bishop mentioned military school?”

His lips twisted into a sardonic smirk. “Yeah. That was a fun few months. Hell, I was so twisted up, even Mom agreed to send me away.”

“What changed?”

“Royal,” he admitted. “He came to talk to me. Told me I could keep acting like a punk, or I could put in the work and do better. Be better. So, that’s what I did. I focused on being better, bigger, stronger. Making sure my dad couldn’t ever hurt me or anyone I loved ever again.”

“Court,” I murmured, my heart aching for him. For us. For what we could’ve had.

“Becca…” He sighed, his hands tightening on my hips like he was ready to push me away.

Not happening.

Not tonight.

Not ever again.

I looped my arms around his neck, linking my fingers behind his head. “I don’t blame you for what your father did, Court.”

“Don’t you get it? As long as I care about you, you’ll always be a target,” he insisted. “Pretending not to care was the only way to keep you safe.”

“You realize we haven’t been friends, or whatever you want to call it, in a long time, and that didn’t stop bad shit from happening to me,” I pointed out. “Madelaine made my life hell for years. I was bullied, treated like crap, and pushed around for pretty much my entire teenage life.”

His eyes flashed.

“I was drugged and almost raped. I was freaking kidnapped by Maddie’s dad.” I let out a sharp laugh. “And let’s not forget that I decided to date a guy who thinks it’s normal to buy and sell human beings like dolls. You didn’t play a part in any of that.”

“I should have,” he hissed, his fingers digging into my hips. “I should’ve protected you—”

“So, which is it?” I demanded. “You’re never supposed to let me out of your sight? Or you’re supposed to stay as far away from me as possible?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but then snapped it shut. A frown creased his brow.

“Exactly,” I murmured, loosening my fingers to delve them into his thick hair. The strands were shorter at the nape of his neck, and I pressed the pads of my fingers against his skin to massage away the tension.

He let out a shuddering breath before leaning forward to rest his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry.”

“For what this time?” A soft smile pulled at my lips.

“For not being honest with you years ago,” he admitted. “Pushing you away was a mistake. I thought it was for the best, and maybe in some ways, it still is.”

I tensed, bracing for another round of being pushed away. “No,” I told him. “Stop trying to do what’s best for me and just give me a chance. Court, I don’t blame you for what happened to me back then. I never did, and I never will.”

He watched me, his expression wary.

“But I do blame you for how you’ve handled things lately,” I admitted. “For the way you just act like I’m a doll you can put on a shelf and expect to stay still. I’m not a little girl anymore. I haven’t been for a long time. I’m stronger, and I know what I want. It’s what I’ve always wanted.”

His gaze held mine, the fire in them catching me off guard. “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it, Becca.”

I blinked, my breath catching at the intensity pouring off him. “I don’t understand.”

One hand left my hip and wrapped around my chin, his long fingers easily holding my jaw in place. “I’m not a kid anymore, sweetheart. The things I want, the things I need, might be more than you can give.”

My heart slammed against my ribs, my body prickling with awareness. “I’m not a little girl anymore either. I can handle it.”

A pale version of a smile ghosted across his full lips. “Think you can handle me?”

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