Sharing You

19

Kamryn

August 1, 2015

PRESSING MY LIPS to Brody’s cheek two days later, I laughed softly against his skin when he reached for my waist and kissed him again before moving away from his searching fingers.

“Mmm, nu-uh. Come back,” he mumbled into the pillow.

“I have to go to the shop. I’ll see you later.”

He propped himself up on one elbow, and I had to force myself to stay away from him. I wake up, and I look like I got in a fight with a Weedwacker. Brody wakes up and looks like he’s ready for a photo shoot. Asshole.

“Do you want me to come help you?”

I laughed and pulled on my Converses. “You mean, do I want you to come and eat everything I make?”

“Basically, yeah.”

“If you want, you can. But I need to leave right now, so you’d have to bring your own car.”

As Brody crawled out of the bed, I stopped tying my shoelaces. My body warmed, and I might have started chewing on the inside of my cheek, but I couldn’t be sure of anything anymore, other than the sight of him naked and what I wanted to do to him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to be a little late and help me get ready?” he said softly into my ear, his gravelly voice making my already unsteady breathing even more ragged.

“You don’t play fair,” I whimpered when he made a trail down my neck.

“Never claimed to. And I want you in the shower . . . now, Kamryn.”

Just as I started to say, “Okay,” my phone started ringing and I jerked back. “Shit! Kinlee! I’m supposed to pick up Kinlee today.” Brody grumbled his dislike, and I laughed as I grabbed his head and brought it down to kiss him soundly. “I’ll see you when you get to the shop.”

“Drive safe, see you soon,” he said as he walked into the bathroom.

Grabbing my phone, I saw the missed call from a number I didn’t know and decided I’d wait to see if the caller left a voice mail before calling back. Shoving my cell in my back pocket, I finished tying my shoes and grabbed my purse as I ran to the garage.

After picking up Kinlee and getting us to the shops, I rushed around to make sure my employees had gotten everything ready up front before going to the back.

“I’m so sorry, Grace! I forgot I was picking up Kinlee, and then Brody was trying to make me later than I already was, and . . . well, obviously, I’m super late.”

Grace laughed and waved me off before going back to icing more cupcakes. “You’re the boss, I’m pretty sure you’re allowed to be late.”

I frowned and tied on my apron. “You know I want to be here, I don’t like being late . . . especially when y’all are here and having to do everything.” Looking around, I walked back out to the front before glancing at Grace. “Where’s Andy?”

“Restroom,” she said just as Andy came up behind me.

“Right here, gorgeous!”

He blew me an air kiss, and I sent him one back before grabbing my ingredients and some bowls. The chimes sounded, and Andy turned right back around from where he’d been about to do dishes and walked toward the swinging doors. “I’ll get this one. I know how you are if you don’t start your morning off with baking.” He winked and breezed through the doors.

I’d barely gotten started when he walked back into the kitchen, a confused look pinching his face.

“Uh, I think that one’s for you, KC.”

I smiled at him, and my stomach started warming. “Brody?” I asked as I walked past him.

“Not exactly.”

I stopped so suddenly midway through the swinging doors that Andy ran into me from behind. “Can I help you?” I asked the reporter and two men with her. One was holding a camera.

“Are you the owner? Are you KC?”

Glancing at the camera, and then back to Andy and Grace, who was now directly behind him, I slowly nodded my head. “I am. Again, can I help you?”

Her perfectly painted face lit up and she walked toward the counter with a hand outstretched. “Meg Schwartz with KXJN News, what a pleasure to meet you.”

I stepped forward to shake her hand, but kept my eyes on the cameraman and the second man who had just retreated from my shop, his phone going to his ear. “Pleasure. I’m sorry, but may I ask what y’all are doing here? I’m not comfortable having cameras in my shop.”

She winked at me and stepped back. “I’m sure you’re not.”

Uh, what?

“We were wondering if we could do a piece on you and your journey to opening up this beautiful bakery?”

“No, I’m sorry. I’d really prefer if you didn’t. Sorry you came all the way down here, you should have just called.” I knew I was coming across as rude, but I wanted to avoid anything that put me in the news in any way. Someone would see me and recognize me just as Olivia had. I couldn’t chance that. “But, please, pick something out to eat. On me.” I walked over to the case and waited for them to decide on something.

“You’re very sweet, but we couldn’t possibly.”

My eyes were back on the cameraman. The camera was pointed directly at me, and I was straining to see if there was any sign that it was recording.

“Okay, then, I’m sorry, but I need to ask you to leave,” I said as I stepped back to the swinging doors. Why the hell is he following my every move with that thing? Suddenly, he shifted the camera down, and I released a heavy breath as they backed up to the door.

“We’ll see you soon, Miss Cunningham.”

I just nodded and smiled, no longer watching them. The second man who had left on his phone was standing directly in front of my shop, staring at me, his phone still pressed to his ear. “Back, back, get back in the kitchen.” I pushed Grace and Andy back before closing the swinging doors and setting the latch so they couldn’t open.

“What’s going on?” Grace asked, and I shakily turned to face them. “Why wouldn’t you want to do a story? It would give the shop so much more business. More than just people in Jeston probably.”

Exactly. I couldn’t have that. “Maybe, but I don’t, uh . . .” I trailed off when I finally realized it. Miss Cunningham. The reporter called me Miss Cunningham! Oh, God, this isn’t happening. No, no, she must have found out my name another way, she can’t know who I am! “I’m sure you’re not.” I gasped and started rambling to cover the look of horror that was probably crossing my face. “I don’t like cameras very much, or news stations. They tend to clip and rearrange your words to make you look worse, and I’m just not a fan. Okay? Okay. What was I doing? I need to bake.”

Andy grabbed my hand, and he and Grace were now wearing matching concerned looks on their faces. “Sweetie, you look like you’re about to pass out. What is wrong? Why did you lock the doors?”

“No, I’m fine. Nothing is wrong. I just—just locked the doors in case they came back in. But that was stupid.” Forcing myself to unlock the swinging doors, I stood there facing them with my head down. I wanted to go home. Needed to. The camera had made me nervous, but I shouldn’t have been this freaked out about it. I had a bad feeling, and Andy was right . . . my legs and arms felt like Jell-O.

“KC?” they both asked right when the chimes sounded again.

I jumped away from the doors and pointed at them. “Andy, please help them. If it’s the people who were just in here, ask them to leave and then lock the front door.”

He brushed his hand against my shoulder as he passed, and while the doors were still swinging shut, I heard his voice. “Holy shit.”

Oh, Jesus.

“Uh . . . Kace?”

On shaky legs, I walked to the doors and pushed them open, afraid of what I might find and somehow already knowing. Once I was through the doors, I heard dozens of the all-too-familiar clicks and saw bright lights flashing. I heard too many people talking and knew that it was over. They knew I was here, and I had no doubt that Olivia was somehow behind their knowing.

“Oh. My. God. Kamryn, what have you done?”

My head snapped up, my eyes widening when I heard my mom’s voice. I found her immediately. She looked disgusted for all of three seconds before she pulled it together and started dramatically crying.

“My baby! We’ve finally found you!”

I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak. The cameras were still flashing, the same reporter who had been in the shop a few minutes before and another one were speaking toward their cameramen, and there, next to my mom, were my dad and Charles.

“Hey, move. Everyone move. News crews, get out of here. What the hell? I said get out!” Brody’s voice rose above everything else, and in that moment I wanted to die. “Jeston PD! I said get out! If you want me to call backup, I will!”

A few of the people, along with one news crew, quickly left. Brody made his way to me behind the counter.

“I said get the fuck out!” He held his badge out to them and pulled me close to his side, moving so his back was facing the cameras. “Baby, are you okay? What’s going on?”

“Get your goddamn hands off my fiancée!”

My eyes shut, and a harsh breath left me. Brody stilled, and the hand around my waist tightened as he turned to look behind him. “You need to leave too . . . wait, do I know you?”

“I’m sure you’ve heard of me, and I’m not going anywhere without her,” Charles said with a confidence you only learned when you’d grown up the way we had. “Kamryn, come here, babe. Get away from him.”

“Kam,” Brody said softly, “who the hell are these people, and why did he just call you his fiancée?”

“Who are you, and why are you touching our daughter?” Mom asked, her voice holding the same disgust her face had shown earlier.

“Shit,” I mumbled and looked up at Brody’s wide eyes.

“Kamryn?”

I shook my head and choked out, “I’m so sorry.” Moving to the side, I faced my parents and forced myself to keep my head high.

“God, Kamryn, what have you done with yourself? You look awful!” Mom chastised as she moved closer to me. “All your beautiful hair is gone! Why would you do this? Is this the man who stole you?”

I hadn’t planned on responding, but when she brought Brody into it, I couldn’t keep quiet. “He’s my boyfriend, and he didn’t steal me. I left! And honestly, I don’t care if you don’t like the way I look. I hated the way you made me look. I’m happy like this.”

“Kamryn, what is your last name?”

I turned to look at Brody when his horrified question filled the space between us.

Charles laughed condescendingly. “How wonderful. You have a boyfriend who doesn’t know you’re engaged, doesn’t know who your parents are, and doesn’t even know your last name. Cunningham—her name is Kamryn Cunningham.”

Brody mouthed my name, and his face fell as recognition and horror filled his eyes. “This has to be a joke.” His words were barely audible.

“Brody, I’m so sorry. I should have told—”

“Do not apologize to him.” I flinched and looked at my dad. “If you owe anyone an apology, it is us. We thought you were dead, we thought you’d been kidnapped. Do you know what your mother and I, or what your fiancé, have been through over the last year?”

“I am not engaged to Charles! And I know you didn’t care! You used my leaving to get more publicity, so don’t act like you’re so happy to see me now.”

Charles stepped closer to the counter, his eyes on Brody. “You should leave. This is a discussion she should only be having with her family.”

“Don’t. Talk. To him,” I seethed as I looked at Charles. My stomach rolled at having him this close again.

Brody pushed past me, and I turned to grab his arm.

“No, don’t, please don’t go!”

His nostrils flared as he looked down at me. “Olivia . . . she worshiped you, she never stopped talking about you as we grew up. I can’t believe I didn’t realize before. She freaked when you disappeared. You’re—you’re just like her.”

“Brody! I’m noth—”

“She wanted to be you! I’ve dealt with the way her family is for years, and I finally get away from that . . . only to find out that my girlfriend and her family are the people who Olivia’s strived so hard to be like?” A sneering laugh left him. “Fuck this. I can’t go through this again.”

“Can’t go through what? Brody, don’t do this!”

“This!” He flung his arm out to my parents and Charles. “Having my girl’s family look down on me because I didn’t grow up in country clubs, having her dad constantly remind me that I don’t make enough to keep her happy.” He took a few steps away from me before turning and pointing at himself. “I told you everything, I never kept anything about myself from you. I knew you wanted to forget where you were from, so I never pushed it. And now I find out that you’re not only engaged but you’re the—what the fuck did Liv call you? The princess of the racing world? Tell me, do you view me the same way Liv did? Someone to keep around because you knew your family wouldn’t approve? Someone beneath you who you could try to control?”

I was sobbing so hard that I couldn’t say anything. Shaking my head back and forth, I took a step forward as I reached for him. But he stepped back and rushed away from the counter to leave the shop. I’d started to follow him when my eyes fell on Kinlee standing there at the entrance of the store with a pained look on her face as she watched Brody leave.

Turning, I found Grace and Andy standing there staring at me in shock. “I’m so sorry. If y’all want to go home, I understand.”

Grace looked at Andy, and Andy gave my mom a disgusted once-over. “I think I’m going to go make some cupcakes. It feels like a Monday, and don’t Mondays just suck?” he asked and turned to shoot me a smile and wink.

“I think I’ll help you.” Grace turned to follow him, and in that moment I wanted to hug them both.

To find out you’ve been working for a complete stranger and then show your support the way they just had—that was something I’d never had in Kentucky. And I loved them even more for it.

“Where are you staying? We’ll go and pack you up.”

“What?” I asked my mom.

“We’re taking you home. Where are you staying?”

“No.” I shook my head, and the ache in my chest over having Brody leave turned into anger. “I left for a reason, I hated that life . . . hated everything about it. All the two of you wanted was a perfect daughter. You were the most detached parents a girl could have!” Looking at my dad, I raised my hand toward him. “And you? I heard you the day I left. You were talking to Charles and his dad about me marrying him so we could merge our stables? I only stayed with him as long as I did because y’all didn’t give me a choice! I never would have married him—having him this close to me now is making me sick. The only reason I stayed in that house as long as I did was because of Barbara. She was more of a parent than either of you, and she was always there for me. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have lasted in that fucking prison of a house!” I screeched, and my chest rose and fell roughly.

“How dare you—” my mom began, but Dad cut her off.

“Young lady, you have forgotten your place in this family.”

“I haven’t. I know exactly where I would be if I were still in your family. But I’m not. This”—I motioned toward my bakery—“is my life now. That man who just left, those two in the back, and this girl are my family now,” I said, gesturing toward Kinlee.

Wiping the wetness from my cheeks, I glanced at Charles, who was studying me silently, then over to Kinlee, who still looked upset, but proud.

Looking back at my parents, I cleared my throat and squared my shoulders. “Now I need to ask you to leave. I’m sorry I left the way I did, but I didn’t have any other option. I don’t want anything to do with y’all, or racing. I just want to continue my life here.”

“Kamryn—”

“Leave. Or I will call the police and have them remove you.” Walking around the counter, I went to stand at the door and held it open. “Don’t come back, and don’t contact me.”

“Charlotte,” my dad said by way of an order.

Mom immediately began walking toward the open door, and at the last second turned to face me, her palm connecting with my cheek before I realized it was coming. I turned my head back to look at her, my eyes wide and mouth open. But I couldn’t say anything else; I was too shocked by the force of her hand.

“You’re an ungrateful little brat. When your world comes crashing down around you, don’t come running home to us. You’ve made your decision, and as far as I’m concerned”—she raised her chin in an attempt to look down on me—“my daughter died a year ago. You have no place in our family anymore. Do you hear me?”

“Charlotte, we’re leaving.”

With one last look, my mom turned to leave, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. Dad was right behind her, but didn’t look at me as he walked out the door.

Charles walked up, his eyes glossing over Kinlee before coming back to rest on me. “Can she give us a minute?”

Kinlee grabbed my hand, and I huffed a short laugh. “She is here for me, and I don’t want to talk to you. Please. Leave.”

His lips pulled up in a small smirk, and one hand came to the back of my neck as he leaned forward to place a kiss on my forehead. I tried leaning back, but his hand held me in place. With the door still open, I could hear the clicks of cameras, and one of the news reporters talking—and I had no doubt Charles was doing this for them.

Moving his lips to the ear farthest from Kinlee, he whispered, “Do you have any idea how much you’ve embarrassed not only your parents but me as well? I won’t be as harsh as your parents, Kamryn. You have a day to change your mind. And if you know what’s good for you, you will,” he said, his tone conveying his warning.

Releasing me so quick that I stumbled back a step from the force of trying to get away from him, he turned and walked away. Slamming the door shut behind him, I locked the deadbolt and turned to throw my arms around Kinlee.

“How the hell did they find you?”

“Olivia,” I cried. “It has to be her. She’s the only one who knew besides you.”

“That stupid fuc—”

A hard sob was wrenched from my chest, and Kinlee tightened her grip on me. “Brody . . .”

“It’s okay,” she crooned softly.

“What do I do, Lee?”

“I thought you’d told him. Why didn’t you?”

Pulling back, I wiped away new tears and shook my head. “I didn’t want anyone to know, I wanted to forget about them. I told you that night because I hated that I’d been lying to you and keeping things from you. With Brody, he never asked other than the first or second time we saw each other. It was easy to forget about them.”

“Did you think he would judge you differently? I just don’t understand why you thought you had to hide this from him.”

I shrugged helplessly as I thought about it. “I don’t know. In a way, I guess I’m afraid everyone will judge me differently. I’ve always been treated a certain way because of who I am—well, was. I didn’t want that. I wanted normal; I wanted a new start. And as you can see”—I gestured toward the crews still outside—“this happens as the result of someone figuring out who I am.”

“Anyone can see you’re not like them—well . . .”

“Kinlee, he looked like I’d crushed him.”

“He’ll understand, he’s just upset right now. Go get him, Kam.”

My eyes drifted to the back of my store, and she waved me away.

“I’ll tell them, and they’ll understand too. Just go get my brother-in-law back. You brought him back to us, I can’t have him leaving us again now.”

“I’ll call you to let you know.”

Unlocking the door, I ran past the news crews and hopped into my car, praying like hell that I would find him. I drove quickly through the streets on the way back to my condo. The entire time my body stayed tense as I worried about Brody’s reaction and thought about the different possible outcomes of what had just happened. I called his cell a second time, but like the first time, it went straight to voice mail. Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to believe that Brody and I couldn’t work through this too . . . after everything we’d already been through . . . there was no way this would be the thing to break us.

After looking at my condo, Jace and Kinlee’s, and his parents’ house, and not finding him, I finally drove back to my bakery, exhausted and defeated.

Grace and Andy didn’t ask if I’d found him. I think they knew based simply on the fact that I was already back and probably looked like hell. After asking me to stop trying to hide my accent and whether I preferred Kamryn or KC, they handed me a few cupcakes, turned the music up loud, and pointed me toward our “Mondays suck” wall to let out my anger before we went back to baking like it was a normal day.

Every time the door chimed I ran out, hoping it would be Brody. And every few minutes I called his phone, hoping it would finally be turned on again. Every time my hope was crushed I felt like I was that much closer to losing him.

I gasped and almost dropped the cream puffs I was holding when the chime went off again. Putting the tray on a counter, I burst through the swinging doors, only to have anger quickly flood my veins.

“Leave. Now!”

Charles smirked and took long steps to the counter. “I decided a day was too much time for you to think and get more of your insane ideas in your head.”

“Do you not understand? I want you to leave. I don’t want to see you again. How is that so hard to get?”

His smirk was turning into more of a sneer. “Oh, no, doll. I got it. What you’re not understanding is that you’re making the wrong decision, and I’m trying to make all of this go away for you right now. Your parents and mine will forgive you, I’ll forgive you, and we’ll all move on the way we were supposed to. You leaving messed up more than you could imagine.”

“Like the fact that you couldn’t merge the stables? I don’t care about the stables, Charles! I’ve never cared! I don’t want to be seen as property to be sold off to a family. This is what I care about,” I said as I waved my arms at my bakery. “Falling in love with someone who wants to be with me. Just. Me. That’s what I want.”

“You think I didn’t love you, Kamryn? You think I don’t still love you? You think your disappearance didn’t kill me?”

“No! I don’t! I think you’ve always seen me as an opportunity—”

“Bullshit!” he yelled, slamming his fist down on the counter. “If this is what you want, Kamryn, I’ll give you it. I’ll build you a goddamn bakery. You want your hair to stay this way? When you’re my wife, your mom won’t be able to say shit. Do what you want, I don’t care. Just let me take you back to Lexington. You and I both know I will be able to take care of you better than anyone. Your parents’ status, babe . . . we’ll top that. We’ll fucking rule the racing world,” he whispered, his eyes brightening. “You and me.”

“Oh, my God! Do you not see? That’s all you want! You want me to help you ‘rule.’ I told you, you see me as an opportunity.”

“Right now I see you as a spoiled girl who pulled some ridiculous stunt because she wanted attention. Now I’m giving you the attention you wanted, baby, and you’re done playing this game.” Grabbing a box out of his pocket, he opened it and put it on the counter. “I’ve held on to this for far too long, Kamryn. You will put that ring on. You will be leaving this shop with me tonight. And we will be going back to Kentucky together.”

I glanced at the diamond that had to have cost as much as my bakery, and swallowed back bile as I looked up at Charles and saw the man walking into the bakery from over his shoulder.

“We’re going to finally get married, I’ll give you another bakery in Kentucky, and then we’re merging the stables.”

“Brody,” I whispered as my eyes filled with tears.

Charles turned and hissed a curse. “Oh, Christ. Do you mind?”

Brody didn’t move, and he didn’t respond for a long moment as tears steadily fell down my cheeks. His eyes just stayed glued on the box sitting on the counter, with the ring fully displayed.

“I said . . .” Charles began when Brody’s deep voice whispered, “You are engaged.”

I shook my head, even though he wasn’t looking at me as his mocking tone pierced my chest.

“We’ve gone through all this . . . all this shit, and I almost lost you because I was married. And you’ve been engaged the entire goddamn time?!” He looked up at me, and his face was twisted in anger, but his eyes couldn’t hide the deep ache he was trying so hard to mask.

“So now your boyfriend’s married?” Charles asked. “This just keeps getting better.”

“I’m not,” I choked out, ignoring Charles. “I left before he ever asked, I swear to you, Brody.”

He laughed hard once and threw an arm out between Charles and me. “How am I supposed to believe you? I knew you wanted to forget where you were from, but I thought—God, I don’t even know what I thought anymore. But I knew you would tell me when the time was right. I just had no fucking clue that you were Kamryn fucking Cunningham. That you were some privileged girl who wanted to see what normal people lived like. That you were this princess”—he sneered the word—“who I’d grown up constantly hearing about from Liv. Her parents’ goal in life was to be your family. Olivia’s dream was to be you! They are the way they are because of your family, Kamryn, don’t you get that? My wife was a nightmare because of you!”

A sob tore from my chest, and I had to grab the counter so I wouldn’t fall to the floor. The entire time my head was shaking back and forth. His words were killing me. I was nothing like Olivia, and I’d had no part in making her the way she was. Part of me knew Brody was just hurt, but it didn’t change the way each word he said felt like another punch to the chest.

“I was never enough for Olivia. I was never enough for her parents. But it didn’t matter, because I didn’t love her.” His anger quickly faded, and grief replaced his hardened features. “I can’t go from one Olivia to the next, Kamryn. I can’t handle not being enough for you. When you realize you’re done playing this game and you’re done with me and want to go back to your old life, I won’t be able to handle that.”

“I won’t!” I cried out. “I won’t! I know you’re hurt, and you have every right to be. I should have told you from the beginning, I know that. But I’m nothing like her, and you know it. This”—I gestured to my bakery—“us, our condo . . . all of it is me. I left because I was suffocating with those people, Brody!”

Brody shook his head and laughed sadly. “I can’t give you anything like he can.” He gestured to Charles. “That ring? That is who you are, and I can’t give that to you.”

“At least he understands,” Charles mumbled.

“I don’t. Want. The fucking. Ring!” I screamed. Grabbing the box, I snapped it closed and threw it at Charles’s chest. “I don’t need some massive diamond. Give me a band and I’ll be happy. Jesus Christ, Brody, just give me your last name and I’ll be happy,” I cried. “I don’t need or want any of what Charles or my parents have to offer.”

“Yeah, you might say that until you realize everything I can’t give you.” Brody turned toward the door, and my body locked up in panic.

I couldn’t let him leave. I couldn’t lose him.

“I only stayed as long as I did because I was saving money so I could leave. I only stayed with Charles as long as I did because my parents didn’t give me a choice. But the minute I heard him talking with my dad about asking me to marry him that night, I left. I was gone within the hour. And it was the best moment of my life!”

“This is ridiculous. Kamryn, let’s go,” Charles said with a sigh, and the highest, most unattractive screech left me.

“Leave! I swear to God if you aren’t gone in the next minute I will call the cops!”

Brody kept pacing near the door, his hands running over his face and through his hair. I took slow steps around the counter as I continued talking to him, my voice rising as hard sobs threatened to choke me.

“I’m sorry you associate my name with your ex-wife and her family, and yes, my parents are probably just as bad as Olivia’s, if not worse. But I am nothing like them. I hated everything about my life. It was all mapped out and scripted for me, I didn’t have a say in any of it. It was a prison.”

Brody scoffed.

“Don’t do that!” I exclaimed. “Don’t act like I’m some spoiled brat who had everything, and still it wasn’t enough. I never wanted any of it.” Charles grabbed my wrist when I went past him, and I shoved at him. “Get off me and leave!”

Brody turned, his eyes narrowed on Charles. With quick steps, he was in front of Charles and me and pulling him away by the front of his shirt. “She told you to get out. I suggest you do it before I arrest you or get myself arrested for showing you exactly what I fucking think about you.”

“Don’t touch me. Kamryn, you have until tomorrow to change your mind!” Charles yelled as Brody shoved him out the door and locked it behind him.

“You have to understand, Brody, and I know you do,” I continued when he didn’t turn to look back at me. “I was miserable with them, and all my daydreams consisted of getting away from that life and those people. Think about it. Think about how miserable you were with Olivia, how miserable her family is. Being married to her was your own form of a prison sentence!” Brody’s body tensed, and I prayed I was getting through to him. “Right? You felt trapped. You felt like you couldn’t breathe. But you didn’t have a choice for a long time. Well, I didn’t have a choice either!”

He finally turned to look at me, and the smallest spark of hope began to form in my chest at the look in his eyes.

“I couldn’t just change my life. I couldn’t just decide I wanted something different for myself. I had to run. I had to hide. That was the only way. And I can honestly tell you that I have never been happier than I am now, in this life, in that small condo, with my perfectly imperfect clothes and hair, and with you.” I chanced taking a couple steps toward him, but stopped halfway. “We didn’t have choices back then, but we’ve changed that. We’ve changed our lives so we could finally be happy. This isn’t a game for me, Brody, this is my life. You are my life. You may not be enough for my parents, but I don’t care because I’m not enough for them either. You’re more than enough for me, and that’s all that matters.”

Brody stood there, still as a statue, staring at me. His face was blank, but his gray eyes were dark with emotion. I just didn’t know what emotion it was.

“I should have told you, and I’m so sorry. But I am not my name. I’m the girl you fell in love with. Brody, please, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, but don’t throw us away. Not now. After everything we’ve been through to get here, I can’t lose—”

My words were cut off when Brody suddenly closed the distance between us and pulled my body to his, his mouth falling onto mine roughly. A noise that sounded like a cry broke past my lips when the kiss ended, and I dropped my head to Brody’s chest, his arms tightening around me as he pressed his mouth to the top of my head.

“Please don’t leave again,” I choked out. “I’m so sorry!”

“Shh, it’s okay.”

I sobbed into his chest and gripped Brody’s back. Like if I held on to him tight enough, he wouldn’t leave me. My tears continued to fall harder, and my shoulders hunched in against the sobs that were being wrenched from my body.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby. It’s okay,” he whispered and moved back to the counter so he could sit me on top of it.

I heard a choking sound behind me and turned to see both Andy and Grace standing there holding hands and crying. I smiled, and a relieved breath burst from my chest. “Uh, I think we can close early. I’ll see y’all tomorrow.”

“’Kay,” Andy sniffed, and Grace just nodded her head. When they turned to go into the kitchen, I looked up into Brody’s eyes and sagged into his chest.

When I’d moved here, I knew I’d never been happier. Brody, Kinlee, and Jace made my life complete. But lying to them and keeping the earlier part of my life hidden had taken its toll on me. The stress of worrying that someone would recognize me—that my family would find me—was now behind me. It had happened, and for a while my world had felt like it would crash down around me, but now that it was over . . . now that everything was out there . . . it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. The relief was amazing, but at the same time I felt worn out now that months of hiding had finally come to an end. The exhaustion from the stress felt like it would consume me.

“I’m sorry,” I said again.

His hand paused a few seconds from where it’d been moving gently up and down my back, before starting up again. “I know you are. I’m sorry for not giving you the chance to tell me, and for what I said. I—God, I’m sorry . . . I don’t think you’re like her, Kamryn. I know you. I just . . . when it finally all clicked who you are, I freaked. I was afraid it would be a repeat of her, I was mad that you’d kept that from me, and I was scared about what would happen now that they’d come for you. I’ve always been terrified of losing you, and then I almost took myself away from you . . . again.”

“Please don’t apologize,” I whispered and looked up into his glassy eyes. “Not for this. You have every right to be mad, and I knew even when you said it that you didn’t believe what you were saying to me. I knew it was out of anger. It hurt . . . but I knew. But don’t apologize. This is my fault. None of this would have happened if I’d just told you.”

He looked at me for a few seconds before asking, “Why didn’t you?”

I shrugged as I tried to figure out the words to say. “A lot of reasons. Where I’m from, everyone knew me by name and the way I looked. So I changed those things, but I still was terrified that if anyone knew my real name, they would know who I used to be and somehow my parents would find out. I couldn’t risk it; I’d worked too hard to disappear from them. But then Olivia recognized me that morning she came to my shop, and I have no doubt she’s the one who told my parents. I told Kinlee about my past the night you and I made up at their house, and I was going to tell you that last day in the hotel room, but obviously, I never got the chance to because we were fighting about other things. When the letters from Olivia started, I tried to tell you then . . . and every time I tried something would happen. Your phone would ring, you would have to leave, Kinlee would show up . . . and I kept taking it as a sign that I shouldn’t say anything. Then you came back from the meeting with the lawyers and said you didn’t want to talk about her again. I don’t know, I just kept making up excuses, but I know I should have just told you.”

He brushed back my bangs and nodded slowly. “I understand. I wish you would have, but with everything that’s happened . . . I get it, Kamryn. Please, though, if there is anything else, just tell me now.”

I thought hard, trying to think if there was anything about me that Brody didn’t know. I shook my head for a few seconds before blurting, “Oh! Barb isn’t my aunt. She’s my parents’ maid, but she raised me. She helped me with everything so I could escape from there.”

Brody’s lips tilted up in a lopsided smile, before dropping. “Wait, why didn’t she tell you they were coming? Is she still that mad about us?”

“No, no, there’s no way she wouldn’t have warned me about that. My parents knew how close I was with her. My mom had to threaten to fire Barb in order to make me stay with Charles. But once they found out that I hadn’t actually been kidnapped or whatever, I doubt they even told her they were going out of town because I’m sure they figured she would warn me. They probably just left, and it’s not an uncommon thing for them to do. Barb packs for my mom if they’re going on vacation, but they’ll leave to check out horses on a moment’s notice and be gone for days, and they won’t tell Barb they’re leaving.”

“Okay,” he whispered and searched my eyes. “Anything else?”

“I love you . . . and I’m sorry. I can’t say that enough.”

Brody leaned in to kiss me softly, and I melted into his arms. “We’ve both said ‘sorry’ a lot,” he said, “and there have been a lot of hard times we’ve had to get through to be together. I haven’t regretted a single one of them, and there’s not one of them I wouldn’t go through again in a second. But I’m ready to start making good memories with you, Kamryn Cunningham. What do you say we get through this divorce, and then how about we focus on that forever?” he asked against my lips.

A short, relieved cry burst from my chest, and I nodded, my nose brushing against his. “Sounds perfect.”