Road to Absolution by Piper Davenport Read Free Book Online Page A

out.
    “I thought I
could deal with my feelings for you and still screw around. What I realized on
prom night was that I loved you and there would never be anyone else.”
    I scrambled from
his lap. “What?”
    He rose to his
feet, but I held my hand out to keep some distance. He crossed his arms but
didn’t come any closer. “I had this misguided sense of something, I don’t know
what… bullshit really, that if I said out loud how I felt, I’d take your
virginity before you were ready, and then I’d feel guilty because I knew I was
leaving. I guess I just wanted you to have the freedom to get through high
school without that weighing on you.”
    I shook my head.
“You loved me back then?”
    “Yeah, Cass.
It’s why Shelly was the last one… well, until…”
    I blinked back
tears again. “God! I am so sick of crying!”
    “Sorry, babe.”
    “Still not your
babe,” I snapped. “Is that why you came over that night? You said Shelly had
gotten sick and you drove her home.”
    “Kind of true… I
broke up with her.”
    I gasped. “You
dumped her on prom night?”
    “Yeah.” He had
the good sense to look contrite.
    “Wow, that’s a
dick move, Carter, especially for you.”
    “I thought you’d
be happy!”
    “You thought I’d
be happy that you dumped a girl for me on prom night?” I asked. “A night that’s
supposed to be special, but not only did you break her heart, you then didn’t
feel the need to tell me you’d dumped a girl for me? Think about what you just
said, buddy, and let me know if you still think I’d be happy.”
    “Fuck!”
    “Shelly was nice !”
    “But she wasn’t you !”
he snapped. “God damn it, Cassidy, why the fuck can’t I win with you?”
    “I didn’t know
this was a contest!”
    He settled his
hands on his head and scowled. “I think we need to take a minute.”
    “Why?” I
challenged. “What is any of this supposed to accomplish?”
    “I love you, you
fuckin’ nut!”
    “But you left
and I didn’t know where you were! If you loved me, you would have at least made
sure I knew you were okay.”
    “And if you
loved me, you wouldn’t have fucked some French asshole and had his baby.”
    I hissed through
my teeth, his barb a direct hit. “Well, you’re right about that, I suppose.”
    “Oh, fuck,
Cass,” he rushed to say, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
    He headed toward
me again, but I shook my head. “I think… I think I need to go.”
    “No, don’t. God,
Cass, just hash it out with me. I can’t lose you again.”
    “And I can’t
have my past sins constantly shoved in my face!” I swallowed. “Not by you. I
won’t survive it.”
    Carter nodded,
his face stricken with sadness. “You made a mistake, Cass. God knows I’ve made
a shit ton myself… you just got stuck with—”
    “If you say I
got stuck with a consequence, I will end you. Maverick is not a consequence. He’s
the best thing that ever happened to me and if I had the chance to go back and
change what I did, I wouldn’t,” I sobbed. “Because I got him and he’s worth
it.” Again with the fucking crying. Damn it! I needed to get hold of myself.
    Carter wrapped
his arms around me again. “I’m sorry, Cass. Seriously. I will never bring it up
again.”
    “You can’t make
me choose between you and him, Carter. You’ll lose.”
    He lifted my
chin and cupped my face. “Does that mean I have a shot here?”
    “That’s not what
I mean.”
    “Answer the
question.”
    “Do you want a
shot?” I challenged.
    “Yeah, baby, I
want a shot.” He kissed me gently and then stroked my cheek. “I love you,
Cassidy. That never stopped. I ran because I’m an asshole, but I figured out,
kind of recently, that some… no, a lot… of this is on me.”
    I took a deep,
shaky breath. I wasn’t quite ready to let myself believe he was standing in
front of me.
    “Please,
Cassidy,” he whispered.
    “I… I don’t
know.”
    “You take all
the time you need, babe. I’m not