“Cade motions with a nod to follow him. He's holding the pole, and I'm the fish on the line. Just how far will he pull me in?”

“I think fear is normal, Cade. Just don't let it win.”

“WRAP ME UPI shiver.He pulls away."Are you cold?" he asks."A little.Plus... you know.""What?""Um... your kisses?"He laughs,pulls me downonto the blanketand wraps his armsand legs around me.Perfect.My kind of blanket.”

“He cups my facewith both handsleans in,eyes lingering asweet secondbefore his lips are there on mine,teasing, playing, tasting, kissing.When he pulls away,I'm breathless.He nuzzles my ear."Now that's thrilling."You got that right.”

“Another long run, hoping to put distance between me and everything else. The farther, the better. Only problem is, the distance is just temporary, because no matter how far I go, I always have to come back.”

“She trusted him. She had faith in him. And he left her forever. Something tells me she's not forgetting that anytime soon.”

“Was it hard?” I ask.“Letting go?”“Not as hard as holding on to something thatwasn’t real.”I gulp. “Can I ask how you did it?”“I just decided, Ava.That’s all.I just decided.”