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his
truck and got out, his gaze slightly guarded. When I opened the
door, I made sure to lock it before turning on the lights. “The
living room is straight ahead. Go take a seat. I’m going to change
clothes.”
    He nodded. “All right, I’ll be in here.”
    I started up the steps, but then stopped to watch
him. Instead of taking a seat, he walked around the room and looked
at all the pictures. Most of them were ones I’d taken when
photography was my passion; it was before Alex came in and ruined
it all. I lost all creativity when I let him run my life.
    As fast as I could, I rushed into my room and changed
into some comfortable clothes. I didn’t care if they weren’t sexy
because that definitely wasn’t what I was going for tonight. Not
with Kyle and I alone in my house. When I got downstairs, he was
still standing in front of my favorite picture.
    “I take it you took these?” he asked, pointing to the
canvas.
    “How can you tell?”
    He walked from one frame to the next and glanced back
at me over his shoulder. “I don’t know. It just seems like
something you would do. I knew there was more to your story than
just a girl who works at a gym.” His gaze then landed on my pink,
cupcake flannel pants. “Nice PJ’s by the way. If you’re trying to
go for unsexy, you failed.”
    I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks. “Nothing’s
going to happen like that tonight.”
    “I know, love. I was just giving you a hard time.” He
sat down on the couch and patted the cushion beside him. “Let’s
talk.”
    “Do you have any idea how awkward that sounds?”
    “Not anymore awkward than it was to say it. I can
roughen it up for you, if you want.” He slouched down and spread
his arms out wide with a devilish smirk. “Come on, baby, you know
you wanna sit on my lap.”
    Rolling my eyes, we both laughed and he sat back up,
beckoning me over. “Were you really like that?”
    His smile faded. “Sometimes. But the women loved it.
It was kind of hard not to when I knew I could have anyone I
wanted.”
    I sat down and faced him, curling my legs underneath.
“Yeah, I guess I could see where that would get to your head. If
you don’t mind my asking, I still want to know the answer to my
question from the other day.”
    He sighed. “You mean the one where you asked how it
was not being able to walk?” I nodded. “And if I answer, will you
tell me what had you freaked the fuck out tonight?”
    I nodded again. “Promise.”
    Averting his gaze, he took a deep breath and let it
out slow. “Scared. That’s how it made me feel. I’ve never admitted
that to anyone until now.”
    “Did the doctors say you would never walk again?”
    He shook his head. “They said there was a chance I’d
be able to. But we all know what that means in doctor talk. Over
time though, the feelings started coming back. That was when I made
a choice to walk no matter what the statistics said. I sought out
the best physical therapy team available and worked my way
back.”
    “And what if Kacey doesn’t forgive you for what you
did? Are you going to pack up and leave?”
    “I don’t know,” he replied, his gaze searching mine.
“It all depends on if I have something to stay for.”
    Grabbing my hand, he pulled me closer and put his arm
around me. It made me feel safe. “It’s your turn now.”
    I closed my eyes and then opened them up, focusing on
my pictures. “A few years ago, taking photos was what gave me
peace. I didn’t need anyone or anything if I had a camera in my
hands. As you can see from the shots on the wall, I love color . .
. light. I hadn’t been able to capture anything like that for a
long time.”
    Pulling out of his arms, I turned and faced him.
“What I’m going to tell you goes against everything I am now. I’m
not the same person, just like you aren’t the same asshole that you
used to be. I don’t want you to think differently of me.”
    “What happened?”
    “I met this guy at a party. He was