“Okay, I also didn’t want to disappoint my family. I knew they believed I’d fallen from grace, and feeling their disappointment and disapproval has never been easy. I guess that held me back, too.”

Their eyes met in the mirror. “I can’t believe you were willing to sleep with me.”

In a way, neither could she. She’d always been so careful to look before she leaped. She knew how fragile her existence was and had never had much margin for error. But she honestly didn’t see how she could’ve refused him. There was just something about him that made him different than every other man. “You’re irresistible.” She grinned as though it was a joke; he didn’t need to know it was actually the truth.

He folded his arms as he leaned against the vanity. “So how does birth control come into this picture?”

“I have endometriosis, so my periods have never been regular.” She switched to her left eye so she could finish with her mascara.

“And your parents let you go on the pill?”

“Shocking, right? My father didn’t want to do anything about it. He said it was God’s will. But the pain was so intense that, for once, my mother insisted on getting me to a regular doctor, who insisted that I needed this prescription. I don’t think she even realized it was the pill.”

He chuckled before sobering when he asked, “Is endometriosis bad?”

“There are worse things.”

“What does it mean?”

“Hopefully, nothing.” Finished with her mascara, she put on some blush, being careful to avoid the side of her face that was too red to begin with. “The doctor thinks I can probably still have children.” She’d added that last part because she felt it would be natural for anyone to wonder. But considering how she felt about Seth and that they were sleeping together, she wished she could take it back. She didn’t want him to think she was trying to entice him into a commitment.

Clearing her throat, she dug a pair of earrings out of her bag and put them on. “How do I look?”

“Perfect,” he said without hesitation.

“My scars don’t bother you?” she asked earnestly.

“Everyone has scars, Tia. Some are just more visible than others.”

“But...if they don’t have to hold me back, they don’t have to hold you back, either.”

“I’m working on it,” he said.

She smiled. “I know you are.”

“Ready?”

She indicated she was, but he didn’t head out of the bathroom. He pulled his phone from his pocket instead.

“What is it?” she asked when she saw him frown.

“Lois Ivey just texted me.”

“Has she heard about Kouretas dropping the charges?” Tia asked. “How’s she reacting?”

“She’s in a panic. She says the police plan to press charges against her for providing false information.”