The smell of mom’s fresh-brewed vanilla bean cacao wafts up the stairs, and I know she’s figured out I’m here. She only ever makes this when I come home, or when she visits Nashville. She won’t tell me how she makes it, either. Always saying it’s her way of making sure I come home every once in a while. And she only ever sends me back with enough for a couple of months, too.

Crawling from bed, I have a crying hangover. My head is stuffy, my nose is plugged, and I feel like I went ten rounds with a bottle of tequila and lost. As I turn the light on in my bathroom, I see I don’t look much better.

My eyes are swollen, and my nose is red. My cheeks are blotchy, too. I wash my face with cold water to try and bring the swelling down. Quickly, I brush my hair and teeth before deeming myself presentable to my parents.

Not that they would care what I look like. They have to love me.

Quiet chattering can be heard from the kitchen, and I’m not impressed to find Mom’s worst gossip friend, Sonia, sitting there all smug with her overly made-up face, and Mimi—the mean girl from the Drew Carey show—colored eyelids. The woman makes me shudder. She’s all fake smiles and bullshit lies to anyone who will listen. She likes to distort the truth into any way that benefits her best.

“Oh, good morning, sweetheart.” Mom comes rushing over to me with a comfortable hug.

“Hey, Mom,” I murmur into her cinnamon-smelling hair. “Did you make sticky buns?”

“Just for you.” She grins as she pulls away.

“You’re the best.”

“Glad to see you up and about again, Marnia.” The jerk purposely gets my name wrong every time she sees me. She acts as though she hasn’t known me my entire life.

“You too, Snotty.” I don’t have the patience to hide my disdain from her today.

Mom hides her snicker behind a cough while Sonia acts outraged. “Well, that was uncalled for,” she huffs.

“So is getting my name wrong for the past 22 years. But since we’re not pulling punches, how about you leave Mom and me to visit since I came here to see her and Dad.” I let the implication that I don’t want her company hang open.

Shoving her hair back, Sonya stands and says, “I’ll see you another time, Claudia.” The slamming door in her wake has Mom and I bursting out laughing.

“You’re feisty this morning, Marnia.” Her mockery of Sonya has us in fits of laughter again. She hands me the cacao as she sits down, an inquisitive look on her face.

Blowing on the hot liquid, I stall for as long as I can. I know there is a question in her observation. I just don’t know how to answer her. Arsen hurt me deeply, but I understand. Therefore, I don’t want my parents to have ill will towards him. He’s a good man and doesn’t deserve their judgment.

On the same note, I deserved more. He came barrel-assing into my life and made me fall for his sweet words and sensual touch.

“I think I’m in love,” I tell her instead.

“Think?” She cocks her head to the side. “Honey, you either are, or you aren’t.”

I can hear Dad stomping through the mudroom door as I try to work out my feelings. He likes to garden his own vegetables, and I bet he has been plucking the weeds from his precious goods.

“How did you know you loved Daddy?” I ask, hoping to distract. Her sly grin says she knows what I’m doing.

“I remember the exact moment I knew Dennis was it for me. He’d just dropped me off at home after our third date. We went to the drive-in and made out the entire time.”

“Mom, gross.” I fake gag.

“Like you haven’t done it.” She winks at me. “I fell over backwards on to my bed and sighed. My heart skipped a beat, and I had butterflies in my belly. My lips still felt the touch of his for a week.” She sighs happily as Dad walks in behind her.

“I knew from the moment I met your mother that she was mine. All that dark hair and those chocolate eyes sucked me right in.” He leans down to kiss the top of her head. “She’s my girl.”

The love between them physically hurts me. Seeing it, the way they explain it, I know I’m in love with Arsen.

“He hurt me.” The sob leaving my chest cracks my emotions wide open, and the tears start to flow. “I told him, and he just left, and I haven’t heard from him since then.” My words sound erratic to my own ears.

“Marina.” Mom tries to soothe.

“I’m broken, and he doesn’t want me anymore. I hate this stupid body!” I scream, unable to control my agony.

The doorbell rings while Mom tries to comfort me. “Marina, there is not a damn thing wrong with you, and if he can’t see that, then he isn’t the man for you.” How I wish I could believe her.

“I’m defective. How could he want me? Why would he?” The stupid tears won’t stop, and my breathing feels tight.

“’Cause you’re fucking perfect for me.”

Great. Now I’m imagining his voice.

“Get out of my head,” I cry. Until mom spins me around and there he is.

Arsen.

My knight.

My broken dream.

My legs won’t hold me any longer, and I crash to the ground, black dots spinning my vision into nothing.

* * *

After driving all night and listening to Marina’s brief but heartbreaking message, I’m finally at her family home. I waste no time walking up the paved pathway and the porch steps. Ringing the doorbell, all I want to do is burst through.

I need my girl.

An older man opens the door. “Can I help you?” he asks.

As I’m about to introduce myself, I catch Marina saying, “I’m defective, how could he want me? Why would he?” I rush through the house at the broken emotion in her voice. Seeing my woman cry on her mother’s shoulder, I don’t hesitate to tell her, “’Cause you’re fucking perfect for me.” Realizing she thinks she’s hearing things, hurts like hell. Mostly because I did this to her.

When her mother spins Marina around, the anguish is clear in her gaze as she looks at me. Seeing her knees go weak, I rush over to catch her in my arms before she hits the floor. I feel her spritely body vibrating with her pain.

“I got you, Ari,” I murmur in her ear, savoring the feel of touching her again. It feels like it’s been forever and a day. “I’m sorry, baby, so fucking sorry.”

“S’okay. I’m broken. I get it,” she whispers, her voice full of tears.

Sitting in the chair her mother pulls over for me, I cradle Marina in my lap, lifting her chin up to see me. I need her to hear my next words. “You’re not broken, Marina. You’re special. You’re everything I never knew I wanted.” I see a slight bit of hope light her gaze. “From that first touch, to your laughter, your sweet kisses, you’re all mine, baby, and there isn’t a damn thing that’s going to change that for me.”

“You didn’t call,” she sighs. I can feel her body relaxing into mine.

“Karma is not my friend.” I shake my head.

She looks puzzled. “I don’t understand.”

Brushing the hair back from her face, I hate how exhausted she looks. “That lead I got? The jackass ran. I had to chase. My phone got broken as I tackled him. I didn’t get a new one until just before I left late last night.”

“You drove all night?” She seems awed.

“Baby, I would move heaven and earth to get to you.”

“Oh my,” her mother whispers. I’d forgotten they were in the room.

Securing Marina more firmly on my lap, I introduce myself. “I’m Arsen Daniels. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Her mother looks lovestruck by my words. Her father looks pissed off. “You made her cry,” he growls, not giving me an inch.

“It wasn’t intentional. I handled a shock and demand in a bad way, and I’ll spend however long I have to making up for it.”

“Shock and demand?” he asks.

“I’m a detective with MNPD, and moments before Marina told me her secret, I had been called in to view a video of a potential suspect in a gruesome double homicide. It wasn’t my finest moment. And I have no excuse for how I left her that morning.”

“Why has it taken you so long to search her out?” her mother asks.

“I had three days to break my suspect down into confessing his crime. I’m not ashamed to admit that these boys deserved 100% of my attention. I should have made a better effort to call you, though.” My last words are said to the quiet woman in my arms.

“I understand, Arsen.” She smooths a hand across my cheek, and my eyes close, delighting in the feeling of her touch again.

“You shouldn’t have to, though. I hate that you thought I wasn’t messaging you back. And that terrified phone call? I almost lost my shit. What the hell had you so scared?” My heart had stopped the moment I heard her voice. I knew immediately that she was terrified.

“There was a truck on the highway. The wind was gusting, and it nearly side-swiped me.” She looks away like her fear is something to be ashamed of.

“Fuck, Marina. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to answer. I swear I would have.”

“I know.” So fucking understanding. “You caught him, though?”

“Yes. He’ll never see the light of day again.”

“That’s all that matters then.”

“You hurt my daughter, Mr. Daniels.” Her mother’s stern tone catches my attention.

“Mom,” Marina whispers.

“No, sweetheart.” She glares my way. “Marina has been dealt far more than someone so young should. I don’t like seeing her upset. Her believing she isn’t enough for someone flat out pisses me off.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“If you ever make her cry again, I will string you up by your balls in The Square for target practice. Are we clear, young man?” Looks like I have my work cut out for me.

“As crystal, ma’am.”

“Good.” She beams. “Dennis, why don’t you and I go for breakfast and leave these two alone to talk?” Her question is more of a suggestion as she drags him towards the front door.

Once they’ve left, Marina turns in my lap to face me. Tears still hover on her eyelids. “You really hurt me. Like deep into my soul hurt me. And I fell in love with you, and I told you my biggest secret, and then you left.” I go to open my mouth, but she lays a finger over my lips, so I stop. “I understand why you had to leave, and now that I know why you couldn’t really get in touch with me, I still wish you had.”

Threading my fingers through her hair, I lean my head into hers. “I don’t know how I can make it up to you, but I promise I will. And it will never happen again.”

“Promise?” So much vulnerability in her beautiful blue eyes.

“I swear on it, Marina. Never again will I let that happen.”