“I’m sorry, too.” She wished it had ended on a better note. Well, she wished it hadn’t ended at all. She still couldn’t sleep without dreaming about Armie. And beyond Armie, she missed Noelle, but there were some things worth fighting for, some things worth losing it all over. “Now let’s get you up on the bars.”

Noelle sighed, a frustrated sound. “That wasn’t what I meant.”

She braced herself for the fight. “I know, but it’s what you’re going to do. I didn’t come here today to try to talk you into asking your father for a second chance. I came here because I believe in you. Just because your father gave up on me doesn’t mean I’m giving up on you. Do you understand me? I’m going to be here for every session until he gets a restraining order. I’m not going away until I’m forced to, and you are going to get on those bars and do what I tell you to do.”

Her face had flushed and she gripped the arms of her chair. “Why? Why is it so important to you that I walk? Why can’t you like me as I am?”

She had to wonder how often this tactic had worked for Noelle. “That’s not going to work on me. I love you and that’s why I’m not giving up. Sometimes when you love someone you risk everything for them—even your relationship. I will not let a soft heart cost you years of your life. Tell me why you don’t want to walk.”

“Are you fucking with me?”

It was the realest thing that had come out of that child’s mouth in weeks. “No. I am not fucking with you. You won’t try so I assume you don’t want to walk.”

It was obvious anger was starting to bubble up in Noelle. “Of course I want to walk.”

Anger could be an excellent motivator. “Good. Then let me help you up.”

“Fuck you.”

This was what Noelle needed. A foe to defeat. “Yes. Fuck me. Now we’re going to get up. Tell me what you’re afraid of. Because if it’s falling, don’t be afraid of that. It will happen, and guess what? We’ll try it again and I will be right there with you. I will be there for you to fall on.”

Her whole face had gone a brilliant scarlet. “I hate you.”

“I’m okay with that. You can hate me all day as long as your ass is up on those bars.”

“This is all that matters to you, isn’t it?”