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Chapters (48)
  1. 1. One
  2. 2. Two
  3. 3. Three
  4. 4. Four
  5. 5. Five
  6. 6. Six
  7. 7. Seven
  8. 8. Eight
  9. 9. Nine
  10. 10. Ten
  11. 11. Eleven
  12. 12. Twelve
  13. 13. Thirteen
  14. 14. Fourteen
  15. 15. Fifteen
  16. 16. Sixteen
  17. 17. Seventeen
  18. 18. Eighteen
  19. 19. Nineteen
  20. 20. Twenty
  21. 21. Twenty-One
  22. 22. Twenty-Two
  23. 23. Twenty-Three
  24. 24. Twenty-Four
  25. 25. Twenty-Five
  26. 26. Twenty-Six
  27. 27. Twenty-Seven
  28. 28. Twenty-Eight
  29. 29. Twenty-Nine
  30. 30. Thirty
  31. 31. Thirty-One
  32. 32. Thirty-Two
  33. 33. Thirty-three
  34. 34. Thirty-Four
  35. 35. Thirty-Five
  36. 36. Thirty-Six
  37. 37. Thirty-Seven
  38. 38. Thirty-Eight
  39. 39. Thirty-Nine
  40. 40. Forty
  41. 41. Forty-One
  42. 42. Forty-Two
  43. 43. Forty-three
  44. 44. Epilogue
  45. Afterword
  46. Also by
  47. Acknowledgments
  48. About Author

I opened my mouth to speak. “Olive,” I croaked. That was it. That’s all I could think of? How about, “It’ll all be alright,” or “I'm here for you”? No. Instead I stuttered her name like an emotionally constipated teenager

But instead of looking up at me or commenting back, she simply burrowed into me further. She dug her fingers into my shirt and pulled me impossibly closer. I cupped her head with one hand and wrapped the other arm around her shoulders. Maybe words weren’t what she needed. And in that case, I would be here. I’d be her fake boyfriend and shoulder to cry on as long as she needed me. When it came to her, I would be or do anything she asked. And in that moment, the only thing I could think of was how much I was falling for this girl—and how much I didn’t even care.

Olive eventually lifted her head from my chest, her big eyes ringed with mascara and cheeks wet from her tears. I lifted a hand and wiped it all away. She gave one last sniffle and said, “Can we just go somewhere? I don’t care where.”

With no delay, I said, “Yes.”

I opened the passenger door, helped her in, and strode to my side of the SUV. By the time I got on the highway in the direction of our destination, Olive leaned against the seat with her eyes closed and mouth partially open. Déjà vu hit, reminding me of when she fell asleep on the plane, and I smiled to myself. The most beautiful girl I knew was broken inside, and I would do anything I could to fix it.

28. Twenty-Eight

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In my dreams, Finn carried me up a path to a beautiful cabin. It was tiny, shaped like a triangle, surrounded by snowy woods, and had a large deck that overlooked the city. He shifted me in his arms and carried me to the front door, opening it with a key and gracefully taking me from the cold into the warm cabin that smelled of him. Like fresh-cut wood and cologne; I wanted to wrap that scent around me and never leave.

“Olive, baby,” his warm, comforting voice said, and I opened my eyes. Everything was, in fact, not a dream. I was actually in Finn’s strong arms in a beautiful, dimly lit log cabin.

I rubbed my tired eyes, not realizing how exhausting emotional breakdowns could be.

“Where are we?”

He chuckled and set me on my feet. “My house. I figured you’d want to go somewhere we wouldn’t run into anyone you know.”

I couldn’t handle how thoughtful this guy was. I don’t think I had anyone, even Mom or Taylor, in my life that did as much for me as Finn had done in the last week.