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Back Living Lies Save as PDF
Chapters (38)
  1. Cover
  2. Half Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Dedication
  5. ONE
  6. TWO
  7. THREE
  8. FOUR
  9. FIVE
  10. SIX
  11. SEVEN
  12. EIGHT
  13. NINE
  14. TEN
  15. ELEVEN
  16. TWELVE
  17. THIRTEEN
  18. FOURTEEN
  19. FIFTEEN
  20. SIXTEEN
  21. SEVENTEEN
  22. EIGHTEEN
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. Acknowledgments
  36. About the Author
  37. Back Ads
  38. Back Cover

“It’s my fault.” Lane swallowed against the fear of what could’ve been. She saw Charlie waiting on the porch. “I was distracted.”

With the final goodbyes said, Lane brought Noah to her hip and walked out of the house and past Charlie toward her car.

“Can we talk?”

“Look, it’s late. I’m tired.” She willed herself to keep walking. To not stop and look into his eyes because she knew it would make what she needed to do harder. “I’m sorry about what happened earlier in the woods.”

“I’m not.” Charlie’s hand found her waist, and the warmth of his touch halted her steps. “I’m worried about you and Noah. I want to make sure you’re safe.”

She took a breath, refusing to meet his gaze. “We’re fine.”

“What about the toy? It’s from Miguel, isn’t it?”

“Charlie”—Lane closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm the emotion rolling far too close to the surface—“even if it did come from Miguel, that doesn’t make him who you think he is. I don’t know why you and Sheriff Huggins think he’s capable of killing Sydney, but you don’t know him. Not like I do.”

“Lane, he was here.” Charlie ran his hand over Noah’s head so tenderly that it nearly did her in. “If something had happened—”

“If something had happened, it would’ve been my fault. Miguel wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Lane’s voice shook as hot tears began to fall on her still-bruised cheek, refuting her conviction. It was an accident. She shifted Noah to her other hip, giving herself a second to compose what she needed to say next. “If all you see when you look at Miguel is a man with a disease, someone capable of killing a teenager, then it’s probably best if we go our separate ways.”

“Is that what you want?”

No. She wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms. To make promises to be the woman worthy of his passionate whispers of love, but those were promises she had failed to keep once before and she wouldn’t do it again.

“Lane?”

She backed away. Pushed through the splintering ache breaking her heart into two and left Charlie standing there. “I’m not worth the risk.”

TWENTY-FOUR