Page 74 of Begin Again

“You are.”

Again I had to smile. “You agreed with me!”

“I’m making exceptions today.” Could it be that I heard Kaden grinning?

There was a long silence. I heard his calm, strong breathing.

“I wish you were here,” the words slipped out of me.

The sound of his breathing stopped abruptly, and I frowned. I’d broken so many of Kaden’s rules in the last few days; I couldn’t count my transgressions on both hands any more.

“I have to go.” Now he sounded absent, and I couldn’t blame him. I hadn’t meant to cross the line, and now he was pulling back.

“Say hi to your mom for me,” I said, putting on a cheerful voice before hanging up and turning off my phone to prevent my doing anything else dumb.

And for the next few hours I indulged in self-pity, losing myself in tears.

After crying my eyes dry and then falling asleep for who knows how long, I did feel better. Tears cleanse the soul—wasn’t that an old saying? At least it was true for me.

Now it was time for a bath. I had sweat a lot during the trip.

Oh well, no scented candles. But the lights could be dimmed until they practically twinkled.

I slipped into the tub. The warmth did me good, and I submerged. But my thoughts kept coming back.

Though I wasn’t even twenty-one yet, it was now clear to me that the time had come to ditch my parents. To them, outward appearances always took precedence, even if it meant sacrificing the welfare of their only child. This was also true for tomorrow’s celebration. I had to find a way to deal with these kinds of situations without getting too upset. For years, my efforts to work things out with my parents had failed. There was no point in going on like this. Not everyone was destined to have a healthy, intact family, to have a sense of belonging. It’d been hard for me to accept this, but it was time to acknowledge that I didn’t feel at home with my parents. Their values didn’t speak to me, and it looked like mine didn’t speak to them, either.

Dad was always aloof. He wasn’t interested in my life because it didn’t match his expectations. And Mom… Mom was in a class of her own. There was no future for us. Not after what she’d done today and especially back then.

By the time I stepped out of the tub, the water had cooled and my body felt heavy. The warmth had dissolved my tension and helped me calm down. Wrapping myself in the fluffy hotel robe, I towel-dried my hair. It was when I turned to go into the bedroom that I heard a knock on the door.

Confused, I glanced at the room service menu. I’d wanted to order something but hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

Another knock, this time louder.

I didn’t need a peephole to know who was behind the door.Mom.Ten horses couldn’t drag me back to my parents’ house; there was no way I’d go to the gala. Mom could do what she wanted—locate my cell phone, block the credit card—no matter what she did, I’d be back in my real home, back in Woodshill, tomorrow.

I stomped to the door and tore it open. “I-”

Mid-sentence, I froze, mouth open.

Standing at the door of my hotel room was Kaden. With one arm he leaned against the doorframe; the other hand was buried in his pants pocket. He was wearing what he’d had on this morning. It felt like weeks since then. The travel bag we’d packed together was slung over his shoulder.

A big smile spread across his face as he saw my stunned expression.

My nerves short-circuited. Before I knew it, I’d leapt toward Kaden, flung my arms around his shoulders and buried my face in his neck. He returned my embrace, wrapping his arms around me. I pressed myself against him as tightly as possible, until there was no space between us. Everything else that had happened this day had become unimportant. All that mattered was Kaden.Us.

“Are you okay?” he asked, releasing his hold.

He was cautious and gentle, and I couldn’t explain what was happening to my body. A burning desire arose in me and all my feelings seemed to break out unfiltered. I shuddered.

Kaden looked at me with an intense, worried expression. “Can I do anything for you?”

I nodded and let my eyes wander over his face to his lips.

“What do you need, Allie?”

I hesitated for a fraction of a second before placing my hands on his cheeks.

“You.”

That was all I said before pressing my lips hard against his.

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