Page 65 of Pretend it’s Forever

“I just got word from a buddy of mine, there was a plane crash. They can’t get ahold of the plane itself, and there isn’t any other news. But there’re rumblings, Sophia, and they’re saying there are no survivors. I’m so fucking sorry.”

As a tear slid down Flynn’s cheek, my knees gave out, and then Isabella was behind me, Kyler beside me, and I broke.

I had done the one thing I hadn’t done before, and I shattered.

Chapter Fourteen

CARSON

Forty-eight hours.

Forty-eight hours in which I would have to wonder exactly where everything had gone wrong. Forty-eight hours in which I had nearly lost everything.

And now I stood here on her porch, lost, never found, wondering what the hell I was doing. The car had dropped me off, only lingering for a moment before it took the hint and left. I knew my team wanted me to go home. To shower again and pretend all was well, but I couldn’t. Not until I saw her.

There were a thousand things I needed to be doing, other places all over the country that I needed to contact and be seen, but that didn’t matter.

There were only two places in the world I needed to be, and one I couldn’t contact yet. Here I was, trying to figure out what the fuck I was going to do.

But before I could even ring the doorbell, or walk away, the door opened, and then Sophia was in my arms. I clung to her, inhaling that sweet vanilla scent of her hair, and sank my face into her neck.

She let out a cry as my arms tightened around her waist. “How. How?” I set her down, careful not to hurt her. I had already done that enough.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”

That felt like an understatement, but I held back, trying to formulate the words I needed.

She ran her hands over my beard and glared up at me. “They said your plane went down. They said—” She shook her head. “They said so many things, and yet you’re here. How are you here?”

I cleared my throat and felt awkward as hell. The last time I had seen her, I had walked away. No, that wasn’t right. I had pushed her away. I had made everything awkward as fuck and ensured that she would never want to see me again, and yet from the tears streaming down her face, the whole incident had worried her. I did not deserve those tears.

I reached up and used my thumbs to wipe her cheeks. “Don’t cry. Please, Sophia. Princess. Don’t cry.”

“Come inside. I mean, if you have time. Cora. You need to go to Cora.”

And just like that, every instance of when I had been an idiot slammed into me. Because I loved this woman.

She was here, breaking, in pain because I was a monster, and she could only think of my little sister.

It was no wonder that I loved Sophia Cage.

“I already talked to her. I promise. She’s on her honeymoon.”

“I know. We’ve been texting.” She pressed her lips together, as if she hadn’t meant to say that, but of course I had already known. I kept my hands on her face, trying to collect this moment. Because once she came back to reality and realized I was still the asshole I always had been, she would walk away again. Because I had been the one who pushed.

And I wasn’t good at groveling. Nor did I think any groveling or apologies I made right now would be enough. Not for the way that I had hurt an already broken soul.

“Can we talk? Do you mind? I’ll tell you the whole story. Are the girls here? Are they okay?”

Her face softened, and I swallowed hard. “They’re in the playroom. They don’t know. I didn’t tell them. And of course. If you can, if you have time. Carson. What happened?”

I slid my hands down her shoulders to her hands and squeezed. “I’ll tell you everything. I promise. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Sophia, I’m just so damn sorry.”

She frowned at me once again, before pulling me into the house, and I took those steps, knowing that they had to mean something. I would ensure they were worth it.

I wasn’t going to be the evil person that I was ever again.

I couldn’t.