“Welcome to Dallas Ft. Worth,” the pilot says over the intercom.

I stare down at the skyscrapers beneath us, lean my head against the window and sigh. My anxiety of coming back to Texas kept me up all night. I should have nothing to worry about, we’re far away from El Paso. Layer that with meeting my twin sister, my fiancé’s ex who he still has to have feelings for… it’s put a lot of weight on my heart. What if he sees her and decides she’s the one he wants? This is why we’re here, I keep reminding myself. 

My mind hasn’t turned off since we left Gilley Cove. We barely talked on our flight. Kase is letting me figure things out internally and answering questions I’ve had along the way. It’s been a week since I learned I had a twin, but I’m just as confused about everything as I was on day one.

There’s one question that keeps popping up in my head though. We have a two-hour drive, so I figured I'd wait to ask when there weren't people around us.

Once we're in the rental car and driving, I tuck my foot under my knee and shift my body toward him, finally asking, “If she was the love of your life, why did you leave her?”

His fingers grip the steering wheel and he expels a pained breath. “I should have brought this up. But I was afraid I’d lose you after what you told me, about your stepfather.”

“I don’t understand.”

 He sighs heavily. “You know my mom died from cancer when I was sixteen.” I nod and lay my hand on top of his, resting on the gearshift. “Once they diagnosed her, she didn’t suffer long. She suffered a lot longer by the hand of my dad. She wasn’t strong enough to leave my dad, so she stayed and took it, keeping it away from me. After she died, I was his punching bag until I became powerful enough to defend myself.” This breaks my heart, hearing we had similar upbringings. “I tried my best to stay away from him after that. I was usually with…” He stops mid-sentence.

“It’s all right. She was your childhood love. You don’t need to act like it didn’t happen.”

“I left right after graduation to go to boot camp. When I came back, I learned Everly had been in a bad car accident. I raced to her house only to discover she didn’t remember me. I was wiped from her memory.”

“That’s… horrible. I can’t imagine what that felt like to her and you. If I would have had amnesia, it would’ve been a blessing. Of course, I didn’t have a guy like you to forget.”

He manages a small smile.

“So, her memory never returned?”

“I don’t know. She never came looking for me.” I watch his shoulders tense and he adjusts himself in the seat, sitting taller. His eyes won’t meet mine. “After I left her house, I drove back home. My dad was drunk, like normal. He spewed about how no one would ever love me if they couldn’t remember me. Shit like that.”

“I’m sure it made you furious.” Unease rolls off him as he clenches his jaw.  

“I couldn’t control my anger.” He takes in a deep breath, blowing it out through his nose, a bead of sweat falls from his forehead and he wipes it with the back of his hand. “Everly’s father was a police officer. He came to my house, searching for me. But it was too late.” I cover my mouth, trying to silence the gasp. His face jerks to the side. “I swear, I didn’t mean to kill him.” My heart squeezes with emotions from his admission. My worst fear is being with a man like my step-father, but Kase isn't like him. He's not like his dad. I can hear the shame, the regret, the unfounded guilt in his voice. I see a teenage boy trapped with an evil father like my stepfather, hurt and angry at life. It's how I spent my teenage years. Life is unfair. I dreamt every night about killing my stepfather, but I could never go through with it. For years I wondered if I fought back hard enough the night he left me for dead, it would’ve been him laying unconscious on the ground instead of me.

“He was a monster,” I say, reassuring him I understand.

“I should’ve been able to stop. After the years of abuse my mom went through, I was blind to any rationale.”

“I’m the last one to judge, Kase. I don’t think I would’ve been able to stop either.”

“Jake had to pull me off. He’s the reason I left. He didn’t like me, didn't think I was good enough for his daughter. So he gave me an ultimatum.”

“Leave or go to jail?” I whisper, stunned a grown man would do that, let alone a police officer.

He nods, opens his mouth to say something, but snaps it shut. For a man who demands control at all times, admitting this has to be killing him on the inside. Clearing his throat, he continues. “Nobody liked my dad in town. Jake and my mom were a thing in high school. My dad shows up, a stranger in a small town and my mom took a liking to him. Jake wasn’t happy and always had it in for him. I should’ve stayed and dealt with my mess, but I was a scared teenager given a way out. So, I took it and I haven’t been back since.” He swallows harshly, sniffs and wipes away his unwanted tears.

We need to turn around. The last thing I want is for him to find himself in trouble for returning. Worry is etched into his sharp features and guilt for making him take me here presses heavy against my chest. If I’d only known everything. “Kase,” I finally say. “I can do this by myself.  You don’t need to go back and risk everything.”

He glances in his rearview mirror, flipping on his hazards to move to the shoulder. His lip quirks up and the tension in his shoulders relaxes some. “I’m not worried about that. At all. I’m here for you and I’m not leaving your side. Okay? I just needed you to know.”

I nod, turning in and kissing his hand that’s cupping my cheek. Not knowing how the next few hours will play out, I hold on to the hope we’ll survive this.