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  “It doesn’t,” he snapped and she nodded. “And I don’t think you are. You just needed someone to keep you warm till he came back.”

  “Um, no. We broke up like nine months ago and we’d only been together two months, so please don’t think that of me.”

  “You made the bed, now lie in it,” he snapped back and Kacey took a cleansing breath in. She wouldn’t let this dude make her feel like shit. She was guilty and hated what she did to him, but she never lied. She never told him she loved him when she didn’t. He was upset and trying to keep his pride. She understood that, but it was time for him to go.

  “I’m really sorry, Liam. I am. And like I said, I wish you the best. Some woman will be really happy to be with you.”

  “Yeah, and let’s pray she isn’t a heartbreaking whore like you,” he sneered, and she’d never expected him to actually say the words he’d been insinuating. That shocked her, but what didn’t shock her was the speed of Jordie’s fist as it smashed into Liam’s pretty face.

  “Jordie!” she yelled as Karson wrapped his arms around him.

  “Say what you want about me, dickface, but you will not talk to her like that,” Jordie yelled as Liam covered his mouth, in obvious pain.

  “Really? You had to hit him?” she yelled as Karl pushed Liam out the door, slamming it.

  “Yes! He won’t talk to you like that,” he yelled, trying to get past Karson, but this time he actually held him back.

  “You are acting like a child!”

  “I’m protecting you!”

  “Oh please, you’re just jealous.”

  “You’re fucking right, I am!” he yelled back and, for some reason, she was surprised by that. Breaking out of Karson’s hold, Jordie spoke quickly and with conviction, holding her gaze. “That asshole touched you, kissed you, and was a part of your life when that’s all I wanted. So yeah, I’m jealous, and yeah, I’m acting like a child because I don’t fucking like sharing! You know this.”

  “I think it’s safe for me to leave,” Karson said, but Kacey wasn’t listening to him, her eyes locked with Jordie’s. His chest was rising quickly, up and down, probably matching hers. She thought she heard her dad say something, but she couldn’t get over the pain in Jordie’s eyes.

  “Jordie, I’m with you.”

  “But he mattered enough for you to be with and to try to forget me. Do you know what it was like to watch the woman I love with someone else?”

  “Doubt it was easy, but do you know how hard it was to be left behind like a piece of trash with no explanation at all? While you were off trying to forget me? Both of us are guilty of it. Just let it go and move on.”

  His shoulders dropped as he shook his head. Looking up at her, he asked, “Do you forgive what I did, Kacey? Honestly? You say you have, but when you say shit like that, it’s hard to believe.”

  She eyed him, and she couldn’t believe he was asking that. If she hadn’t forgiven him, then why was she with him? “Yes, Jordie, but I haven’t forgotten.”

  He nodded, his eyes not leaving hers. “I get that, and I completely understand, but you are throwing it in my face. I know what I did was wrong, and I’ve apologized. You don’t have to remind me.”

  Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she couldn’t believe this was happening. Because she was pretty sure they were fighting. “I am sorry for doing that. You’re right, that was wrong. But you just punched my ex and then tried to make me feel bad for being with him!”

  “I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad, Kacey. I am upset that he meant something to you.”

  “Oh my God, he didn’t! You do!”

  He shook his head. “No, you don’t get what I’m trying to say,” he stressed, his eyes wild as he held her gaze. “I know I fucked up, and I hate that. It hurts me, maybe not as much as it does you since you were the one that I did it to. But it does, and I don’t want to think about it anymore. I want to look at our future, not our past. But we gotta let go of all of it if we are gonna succeed.”

  “Exactly, so don’t go postal and punch exes.”

  “Don’t bring said exes in the house and allow them to call you a whore.”

  “’Cause I could control that,” she snapped, complete fed up with their argument. “Why are we arguing about this? We’ve been together maybe four hours now, and in that time, we’ve gotten back together, screwed each other’s brains out, and now fought. If this is a peek of what’s to come, Jesus help us!”

  “I’m not fighting. I’m telling you how it is.”

  Glaring, she took a step toward him, taking ahold of his shirt and yanking him down to her level. “Fine. Then let me tell you how it is, Jordie Scott Thomas. I love you. You only. Yes, I haven’t forgotten everything that happened, and I probably never will. But I promise I won’t ever bring it back up as long as you promise never to throw Liam in my face. He meant nothing. He was more a friend than anything. So let it go, and I’ll work on letting go of what happened.”

  Cupping the back of her neck, he snaked his arm around her waist, his mouth only inches away from hers. His chest was rising and falling quickly against hers, his eyes searching hers before he slowly nodded. “Deal.”

  “Deal,” she said just as his mouth dropped to hers. Wrapping her arms around his chest, she deepened the kiss as his heart pounded against her. She loved how strong and loud it felt against her body. It was her home and she knew that the whole thing with Liam upset him, but it would never measure up to the pain she felt being without him. He was a man though, and he was proud too. She knew it dented his ego to see her with Liam, but it didn’t matter anymore.

  They had each other.

  As she pulled away, his eyes bored into hers. They were full of so much remorse, so much pain, and she hated that. Cupping his face, she shook her head and asked, “This won’t be easy, will it? You and me, it’s gonna be work.”

  He scoffed. “It wasn’t before; I doubt it will be now. So are you sure? Because you can try to get out, but I don’t think I’ll let you,” he said, his arms tightening around her to reiterate what he was saying.

  She didn’t even have to think about it as her face broke into a grin. With all the love in the world for this broken, beautiful man, she whispered, “I don’t even want to try to live life without you again.”

  “Good, I wasn’t gonna let you anyway,” he said, kissing her top lip. “Now, let’s eat.”

  “Please,” she almost begged before he led her to the counter where they sat down and started to eat the food that had already begun to get cold again. Neither of them cared though; they were both famished. They ate in comfortable silence, but he finished first, like always. He ate as if someone was going to steal his plate. She found it quite comical and annoying because usually he tried to steal her food.

  As if on cue, he reached for one of her green beans and she stabbed him with her fork, shaking her head at him as she brought her plate closer to her. “You know I don’t share food.”

  “Stingy,” he threw back and she stuck her tongue out at him. As she devoured the moistest chicken on earth, her phone dinged with a notification. Looking down at it, she saw it was a Facebook friend request from one Jordie Thomas. She felt him staring at her, and she grinned as she clicked a few times, accepting his friendship.

  And more.

  “Aw, cool, we’re friends now,” he teased, but she rolled her eyes before continuing to eat and fighting her grin.

  “Yeah, you won’t have to stalk me through Karson’s account.”

  “Thank God,” he muttered as she went back to eating.

  When her phone dinged again, she glanced down to see that Jordie Thomas had said he was in a relationship with her. It asked if she accepted his relationship and she smiled before pressing Confirm.

  Glancing over at him, her fork pressed against her bottom lip, she said, “We are for real now, Mr. Thomas. It’s Facebook official. The world knows.”

  He grinned back at her, sliding his hand up her thigh. “Y