Avery took a deep breath, and I shook my head. “My sister . . . she was covered in bruises. Up and down her arms, on her legs.” I closed my hands into helpless fists. “She said it was from dancing, but we all knew you couldn’t get bruises like that from dancing. It took almost all morning to get the truth out of her.”

“It was her boyfriend?” she asked quietly.

I swallowed hard. “The little fuck had been hitting her. He was smart about it, doing it in places that weren’t so easily noticeable. She stayed with him. I didn’t know why at first. Come to find out that she was too scared of him to break up.” Unable to sit still, I stood and prowled toward the window. “Who knows how long it would’ve continued if Mom hadn’t walked in when she did. Would Teresa have finally told someone? Or would that bastard have just kept hitting her one night and killed her?”

My head hung forward. All of this felt like yesterday—the anger and helplessness. “God, I was so pissed, Avery. I wanted to kill the fuck. He was beating up my sister and my dad wanted to call the police, but what were they really going to do? Both of them were minors. He’d get his hands slapped and get counseling, whatever. And that’s bullshit. I wasn’t okay with that. I left Thanksgiving night and I found him. Didn’t take much, fucking small town and all. I knocked on his door and he came right out. I told him he couldn’t come around my sister anymore and you know what that little punk did?”

“What?” she whispered.

“He got all up in my face, puffing his fucking chest at me. Told me he would do whatever the fuck he wanted.” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I lost it. Angry isn’t even the word to use. I was enraged. I hit him and I didn’t stop.” Pulse pounding, I faced her. “I didn’t stop hitting him. Not when his parents came out or when his mom starting screaming. It took two police officers to get me off him.”

Avery didn’t say anything as she stared at me.

I rubbed my palms over my cheeks. “I ended up in jail and he ended up in a coma.”

Her mouth opened in shock, and there it was. Ducking my chin, I looked away as I sat in the moon chair. “I’d been in fights before—normal shit. But nothing like that. My knuckles were busted wide open and I didn’t even feel it. My dad . . .” I shook my head. “He worked his magic. I should’ve gone away for a long time for that, but I didn’t. Guess it helped that the kid woke up a few days later.

“I got off easy—not even a night in jail.” I smiled wryly. “But I couldn’t leave home for several months while it got worked out. I ended up with a year’s worth of community service at the local boys’ club and then another year’s worth of anger management. That’s what I do every Friday. My last session is in the fall. My family had to pay restitution and you don’t even want to know how much that cost. I had to stop playing soccer because of the community-service gig, but . . . like I said, I got off easy.”

Avery looked away, brows pressing together. Her face was pale and the longer she was silent, the sicker I felt. What had I—

“I understand,” she said quietly. I stared at her, not sure I was hearing her correctly.

“What?” I said hoarsely.

“I understand why you did it.”

Did she hear anything I had done? I stood. “Avery—”

“I don’t know what it says about me, but you were defending your sister and beating the crap out of someone isn’t the answer, but she’s your sister and . . .” She paused, seeming to search for the right words. “There are some people who deserve an ass kicking.”

I stared at her.

She unfolded her legs. “And there are probably some people who don’t even deserve to breathe. It’s a sick and sad thing to say, but it’s true. The guy could’ve killed your sister. Hell, he could have beaten some other girl to death.”

“I deserve to be in jail, Avery. I almost killed him.”

“But you didn’t.”

I opened my mouth, but there were no words. How could she be so understanding?

“Let me ask you a question. Would you do it again?”

The million-dollar question. “I still would’ve driven to his house and I would’ve hit him. Maybe not as badly, but honestly, I don’t think it would’ve changed anything. The bastard beat my sister.”

She inhaled deeply. “I don’t blame you.”

I continued to stare at her, feeling as if I should drop to my knees. “You’re . . .”

One slim shoulder rose. “Twisted?”

“No.” I smiled, absolutely dumbfounded. “You’re remarkable.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she said, grinning slightly.

“Seriously.” I sat down beside her on the couch. “I thought you would be disgusted or angry if you knew.”

Avery shook her head, sending strands of coppery hair everywhere.

My God, she was . . . there were no words. Dropping my forehead to hers, I cupped her cheeks. It felt like a gorilla had been lifted off my shoulders. “It feels good getting that off my chest. I don’t want there to be secrets between us.”

Her lips curved up and I kissed their corners. Overcome with relief, I sat back, cradling her to my chest. This girl was . . . she was perfect in all the ways that mattered.

I kissed the top of her head, and her chest rose sharply. The relief I felt was staggering, and I honestly hadn’t prepared myself for Shortcake to be so accepting. Sighing, I closed my eyes and gathered her as close as I could.

Avery had accepted my secret. Now if only I could get her to see that I would do the same for her.

Twenty-Four

“You don’t think that’s enough roses for today?” Ollie asked, nodding at the single-stem rose I held in my hand. And then he glanced at the newest addition in the corner of the living room. “Plus that? You’re making the rest of us guys look bad.”

Jase laughed from his position on the couch, bottle of beer in his hand. “I really don’t think you could appear any badder, Ollie.”

He huffed as he kicked up his legs onto the coffee table. “At least I know ‘badder’ isn’t a word.”

Jase smirked. “That’s about all you know.”

I rolled Shortcake’s present into the outside hallway and then turned back to them, brows raised. “Are you guys going to be here all night getting drunk?”

“Yep,” they replied in unison.

“Well, have fun with that.” Saluting them, I slipped outside and placed her present beside her door, against the wall. I knocked, fighting an idiotic grin as I heard the soft thuds coming from her gift.

Avery opened the door, her gaze dropping to the rose. “For me?”

“Of course,” I said, handing it over as I stepped inside. “I am really sorry about not being able to take you out tonight, but—”

“It’s cool. I know you have those meetings.” She carried the rose to the vase on her kitchen counter, where the rest of the roses I’d been giving her were. Looking over her shoulder at me, she cocked her head to the side. “What are you doing?”

I grinned. “Stay right where you are and close your eyes.”

“I have to close my eyes?”

“Yep.”

Excitement flashed across her face, but she was desperate to play it cool. “So it’s a surprise?”

“Of course it is. So close your eyes.”

Her lips twitched. “Your surprises are just as scary as your ideas.”

I scoffed. “My ideas and my surprises are brilliant.”

“Remember when you thought it would be a good idea to—”

“Close your eyes, Avery.”

Her grin spread into a wide smile as she obeyed. Spinning around, I hurried out to the hall and rolled the gift inside. I kicked the door shut. “Don’t peek.”

Her brows rose. “Cam . . .”

“A couple more seconds.” I wrapped my hand around hers, leading her from the kitchen into the living room. “Keep your eyes closed, okay?”

“They’re closed.”

I squeezed her hand and then let go. Stepping up from behind her, I slid an arm around her waist and leaned over her, kissing her temple. Her fingers curled around my arm as she sighed.

“You can open your eyes now.” I kissed her cheek. “Or you can stand there with your eyes closed. I like that, too.”

She laughed, and I knew the moment she opened her eyes. “Oh my God, Cam . . .”

I’d decked out a fifty-gallon terrarium, complete with sand and rock bedding and foliage. Peeking out from a hidey-hole was a small tortoise, craning its neck, checking out its new home.

She made a tiny, squeal-like noise.

I chuckled. “You like?”

“Like?” Shortcake pulled free and placed her hands on the glass. “I . . . I love it.”

“Good.” I moved to stand beside her. “I thought Raphael could use a playdate.”

She laughed as she squeezed her eyes tight and reopened them. “You shouldn’t have done all of this, Cam. This is . . . too much.”

“It’s not that much and everyone needs a pet turtle.” I swooped down, kissing her cheek once more. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Avery spun around and threw her arms around me. She kissed me, stealing my breath. “Thank you.”

I brushed my lips over hers. “You’re welcome.

She slid her arms around my waist and leaned in. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“You know, I really don’t know. Supposedly you can tell by the shape of their shell, but hell if I know.”

“Well, boy or girl, I’m going to name him Michelangelo.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Perfect.”

“We just need two more.”

This girl was fucking perfect. “So true.”

She wiggled free, smiling. “Be right back.”

Before I could say a word, she pivoted around and took off down the hall. While she was gone, I pushed the terrarium against the wall and turned the heat lamp on. Hearing her approach, I turned around.