Page 157 of Heartbeats & Highways

My throat thickened. “Thank you.”

He inclined his head. “You haven’t told anyone else about any of this have you? Not your new friend, what’s her name? Cozy?”

I shook my head. “She doesn’t know anything. I haven’t . . . I’d never planned on telling anyone anything about this. I’d hoped . . . I don’t know, maybe they would’ve let me go. Forgotten about me eventually.”

“From what you’ve told us these aren’t the type of people to ever stop looking for you,” Zip said.

“I planned to keep moving, never staying in one place for long.” I looked at Savage. “I didn’t expect you to change everything for me.”

“I’ve got to tell the rest of the brothers,” Colt said. “Bring them in on what’s going on.”

I nodded.

“I’m gonna walk Evie to our room, then I’ll be back,” Savage said.

“Ten minutes,” Colt said.

Savage tugged my hand and we both stood. He held the door open for me and I walked through the doorway, out into the winter sunshine. Knots of fear coiled through my belly. The truth was out there. Ugly, horrible. Irreversible.

We strode across the backyard to the clubhouse. I opened the screen door and went inside. I could hear conversations coming from the kitchen, but Savage took my hand again and led me to his room. We didn’t say anything until the door closed behind us.

I collapsed onto the bed, exhaustion I didn’t know I was carrying dropping from my shoulders.

“Are you mad at me?” I asked tentatively.

“Yes.”

I looked up at Savage and frowned in confusion. His face wasn’t pinched, and his eyes didn’t glitter with rage.

“I’m madder at myself than I am at you, though. I knew you were hiding things about your past. I just didn’t know how deep it went. And by the time you started telling me shit, I was too damn in love with you to insist you tell me everything.”

I swallowed. “I’m sorry, Savage.”

“How the hell am I supposed to protect you if I don’t have all the facts?”

“I never wanted you to know,” I murmured. “I never wanted you to . . . to look at me differently.”

He crouched down in front of me and placed his hands on my thighs. He stared into my eyes. “After I talk to the boys, I’m coming back up here and we’re going to have a long talk, so you understand.”

“Understand what?”

“That there’s nothing you could do that would stop me from loving you.”

Chapter 40

“Babe.”

I pressed my face into the pillow. “Hmm.”

“Babe, wake up.”

My eyes flipped open. Savage was sitting on the edge of the bed and his hand was on my hip.

“What time is it?” I asked, stifling a yawn.

“A little before eleven,” he said. “You conked out for a bit. You want to get out of here?”

I swallowed. “That depends.”

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