Hand in hand, Drew leads me through the living room, and as we round the corner toward the stairway, he stops so quickly, I practically run into his back.

“Aimee,” he says, sounding a little surprised.

“I was, um…”

I step up to his side, causing her to stumble over her words a bit.

“Just getting a glass of water.”

She appears nervous, sad maybe, which concerns me.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

She instantly looks toward the floor. It’s as if she can’t look at me, which only furthers my concern.

“What happened?” I ask, letting go of Drew’s hand to take hers instead.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, slightly shaking her head.

“Sorry?” Now, I’m confused because I have no idea what she could be sorry about.

“I should’ve figured it out. I should have somehow…” Her voice trembles. “How could I not have known that it was all related to something so horrible?”

“Aimee, you’re freaking me out,” I say, crouching enough to finally bring her face into view.

Fresh tears cover her cheeks as she tightly holds her eyes together.

“I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation with Drew. I promise, I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just came down the stairs at the wrong time, I guess.”

In that moment, it finally hits me.

“Why couldn’t you ever tell me? I would have been there for you.”

I look back at Drew, feeling my own panic rise, and the look on his face is the one I’ve seen him get often when it comes to me. That need to protect and swoop in to become my hero. I give him a look, letting him know I’m okay, and I hope he understands me. I need to handle this on my own.

I knew the day would come when I would have to share my past with Aimee. I just didn’t expect it would be because she overheard me tell someone other than her.

“Maybe we should save this conversation for another day.” Drew places his arm on my lower back. “We’ve all had a long day and—”

Again, I begin to shake my head.

“I think this conversation”—I motion between Aimee and myself—“has been a long time coming. I think it’s already waited long enough.”

I look back at Drew standing so close to me, I can feel his chest pressing against my entire right side. Hesitation is evident in his eyes and the stiffness of his shoulders. I know it’s hard for him to accept that what is about to take place will bring back a lot of hard memories, fear maybe.

The need to argue is written on his face, but I have to make him understand that this is necessary. It is yet another part of me healing and being able to move forward.

I remember the counselor in the hospital during my time of admittance. To completely heal, I have to freely talk about and accept the things I went through. I have to acknowledge that the things I went through were not my fault, and sharing my past with Aimee will place me one step closer to completely healing the hole Zane placed inside me.

“I’ll be up to bed soon,” I assure Drew.

Again, he gives me that look of his. Practically begging me without saying the words to reconsider.

“Please,” I say.

His shoulders sag in defeat.

“If you need me…” He doesn’t finish the sentence, but he doesn’t have to.

“I’ll be okay.”

This man and his need to protect me is crippling at times. His need to keep me safe and shelter me from all things that might hurt me is staggering. My love for him only intensifies in that moment and makes me feel as if I can’t breathe.

“I love you,” I whisper.

He hangs his head for a moment. I watch as his shoulders rise and fall with one deep breath before he turns and walks up the stairs without a word. It is hard for him, I know. Had it been me in the very same situation, I know it would be almost impossible for me to walk away from him or from Dawson, knowing they could need me and I wouldn’t be there. But he has to trust me.

“Let’s go downstairs, maybe out on the back deck,” I tell Aimee as I look away from Drew’s retreating back. “With a bottle of wine,” I add. “I have a feeling we’ll need it.”

She doesn’t respond with words, only wraps her arm through mine, lays her head on my shoulder, and walks along my side toward the living room.

Once we have our wine, our glasses, and two blankets, we exit the back door onto the patio. The view of the lake is one of pure solitude, so peaceful and calm. It makes the impending conversation so much easier to have.

“I should’ve told you, I know,” I begin as I pour us each a glass of wine. Lifting one glass, I pass it to her, and she immediately lifts it to her lips. “When you came into my bedroom after the party, I wanted to tell you and have you help me. But, during that time, I was so lost, Aimee. I was empty, and the girl you knew was gone. I felt hollow. I didn’t know myself after that night. Everything that had ever meant anything to me no longer mattered. It had all been stripped from me in a matter of minutes.”

“I left you that night,” she whispers. Again, tears flow along her cheeks. “I went on to party and completely left you on your own.”

I slide forward on the chair and reach out to place my hand on her arm. “What happened to me was in no way your fault. It wasn’t mine either. It was his. He took something that did not belong to him, and nothing I said or you did gave him the right to take what he did.”

Aimee instantly leans in and wraps her arms around me, pulling me in closer. We remain like that for an unknown amount of time, each shedding long overdue tears. When she releases me, I lean back in the chair and look out over the lake.

“I’m sorry that you ever had to go through something like that, and I’m sorry you went through it alone,” Aimee says, also looking out over the lake. “I know that me knowing probably wouldn’t have made it any easier, but I need you to know that, had I known, I never would have allowed you to suffer without me suffering right along with you. You’re my best friend, Reagan. You always have been. More than that, you’re my sister, and I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I tell her. “I think, in order for me to recover, I had to hit bottom before I could climb back up. I knew you were there, and I know it’s hard to understand, but that helped even if I didn’t reach out. I just lost who I was for a while, but I feel that girl inside coming back. I feel like I can move forward now, be stronger.”

“Because of Drew.” I can hear the sadness in her voice. It hurts her that she thinks she wasn’t enough.

“I won’t lie and say that he hasn’t helped and Dawson, too,” I confess. “I think what I needed was time. Coming to Chicago with you, living a life away from Boston—that was my beginning. You helped me, Aimee, even though you don’t think you did. You not knowing didn’t stop you from helping me heal, so never think that you didn’t take part in bringing me to the point where I am today.”

“The idea of you hurting the way that you did, the way that you have…” She pauses, unable to complete her sentence.

“It made me stronger,” I assure her. “I don’t wish what I went through on anyone. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to face, and I still have my low days. But the good outweighs the bad, and having you all in my corner helps, too.”

“I’ll always be in your corner,” she tells me.

“I know,” I reply, “and I’ll always be in yours.”

She reaches out and takes my hand in hers, and together, we stare out over the lake in silence. No more words are needed, no more confessions or heartache. Knowing the other is there is all the reassurance we need to begin this next step of healing.

* * *

“I got you, baby,” a soft whisper fills the silence as I am lifted into strong arms.

I curl inward and take in a deep breath, finding peace in the scent of Drew. The deep, manly aroma I’ve grown to love.

“I’m taking you to bed,” he adds.

“Aimee?”

“Remy has her,” he says to me.

I settle in deeper, using his warmth to comfort me.

I'm fully aware of the temperature change from the warmth outside to the air inside the cabin. I know the moment he reaches the stairway and begins to ascend. Stepping inside our room, I hear the soft click of the door just before Drew begins to lower me to the bed. The moment his body begins to move from mine, I hold on to his neck tighter.

“Don’t go,” I say.

“I’ll never leave, Reagan,” he tells me.

My chest grows tight. I still feel so raw from my conversation with Aimee, and I am not ashamed to admit that I need his comfort more than anything right now. I am hanging on the edge of tears, and I want more than anything for him to hold me close and bring back that safety he always has a way of providing.

“Hold me,” I say.

“Always,” he replies as he moves his body over mine and pulls me in close to his chest. “I love you so much,” he whispers.

Those tears resurface.

“Never again will anyone ever hurt you. You’re mine now, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

I slowly fade into the darkness, knowing that his words are true. In Drew’s arms, I feel protected.