Page 12 of Cade

“Someone you love?” she whispered.

“Yes, Cass. Someone I love. All of this has made me realize I don’t want to live a life without you. I know you have some healing to do, but I’m here to help you do it. I won’t let you leave us. Leave me. Do you have any idea how painful that would be for your family? For Carrie?

“I’ve seen it, Cass. Not just my mom but buddies in the service. I saw that look in your eyes, and I knew. Just like I knew when they were getting ready to put the end of the barrel in their mouth and pull the trigger.”

Cassidy lowered her head, tears falling freely down her cheeks. She was in so much pain, she hadn’t realized how painful it was for everyone around her.

“H-He raped me, Cade. He raped me because I taunted him. I egged him on. It’s all my fault. Everything is my fault. If I had kept my mouth shut, maybe he would have let me alone and only cut me. But I couldn’t do it. I was such a bitch, teasing and taunting him. It’s my fault I was raped, mine! And no man is ever going to want me.”

“No, it’s not your fault. Not one fucking thing is your fault,” he said with a growl. “He was a sick, twisted bastard who used sex as manipulation, as a power tool. It was about control, Cass. Not anything else. You did exactly what we tell you all to do. You fought. You punched. You kicked. We saw the nail marks on him, the skin under your nails. You did it, baby. You fought him. And do not think for one minute that I don’t want you because of this. I want you more, baby. You survived. You are a survivor, and I want you more because of that.”

She shook her head, crying harder now. She did fight him, but it didn’t seem to matter. He kept coming toward her, kept pushing.

“I tried to keep my legs together. He cut me, Cade. I have scars everywhere. He cut me. H-he dug the knife in and cut my blouse and my bra. It hurt so much, but he had that nasty t-shirt in my mouth. I g-gagged, but I couldn’t…” She buried her face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around her back.

“I know, baby. I was there. I saw. I wiped the blood from you, and I damn sure don’t want to have to do that again. You are amazing, Cassidy Pechkin. Fucking amazing. You survived. You won. He loses. Do you know how many women he attacked over the years? Dozens from what the team has found so far. Dozens, Cass. Others weren’t as lucky as you. He killed more than a few.”

“Oh, God,” she whispered, shaking her head. “He wanted Carrie. He would have killed Carrie.”

“But he didn’t,” he said, gripping her shoulders, giving her a little shake. “He didn’t because you fought him. You signaled us and turned on the locator. You did that. Yea, he fucking raped you, and if he were still alive, I’d fucking kill him all over again. But he’s not. You are, Cass. You are alive!”

“Cade,” she sobbed.

He held her as the racking sobs shook her body. At times, she could barely catch her breath, and Cade was worried that she might choke. It was almost thirty minutes later before she finally looked up at him. Her eyes were red-rimmed, puffy, and swollen, but she had a smile on her face.

“You came all this way for me to cry on your shoulder?”

“I came all this way for you, baby. I would go five times the distance just to make sure you were okay. You’re gonna be sad, Cass. It’s okay to be sad, but you can’t let the sadness consume you. Talk to me. Talk to Ashley or Bree or Calla. Find someone. But don’t let it eat you from the inside out, baby.”

“I’ll try, Cade. I promise you. I’ll try.” He stared at those big doe eyes, the thick black lashes wet with tears. Leaning forward, he kissed both lids, tasting the salty liquid.

“You know, I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time, Cass. Ever since we danced at Garrett and Celeste’s wedding. I’d sure like to kiss you now if that’s okay.” Cassidy swallowed, remembering how long ago that was. He’d been wanting to kiss her since then. She nodded her head as he leaned forward, gently touching her lips with his own. He didn’t probe. He didn’t beg for more. It was a simple, sweet kiss that left her feeling breathless and shaken.

“Perfect fucking kiss, Cass.” He framed her face in his big hands, his rough thumbs wiping away the tears.

“It was perfect,” she smiled. “Thank you, Cade. I’m actually hungry now. Is dinner ready?”

“Been ready, baby. Let’s eat and turn in early. We’ve got a lot of exploring to do tomorrow, and you have a lot of painting to do.”

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