“What about Ethan?” she asks me with tears now running down her face. “Where is he in all this?”

“Ethan is my son, and nothing will take that away,” I say. “Nothing.”

“Then tell her,” she says softly. Turning, she walks back in the house, closes the door, and locks it. The light in the house turns off, and I sit on the steps of the house. I don’t know how long I sit here, but when I get up, the sun is rising. I get in my truck and make my way back to Kallie.

I pull up to the front of her house, and Charlotte opens the front door right away and says, “Thought you would have been here earlier.” She’s still in her robe. I know she hasn’t been back to sleep since I called her.

“Where is she?” I ask, and she looks at me.

“She’s asleep on the back swing,” she tells me. “What are you going to do?”

“Something I should have done eight years ago,” I say honestly. “Fight for her.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” she says, wiping away a tear from her cheek. “She just came back. I can’t lose her again.”

“I know nothing I can say will make you believe me.”

“Actions speak louder than words.” I nod at her and walk around the house to the back porch. Kallie lies there with her hair sprawled all around her, and you can see her cheeks stained with tears. I walk up the steps as quietly as I can and crouch down in front of the swing.

I look at her sleeping, and all I can do is watch. My hand comes out without me thinking, and my thumb rubs her cheek. She stirs under me for a second, but her eyes stay closed. I play with her hair, and she finally opens her eyes. “Jacob.” She whispers my name, confused. “What are you doing here?”

“I need you to come with me,” I say, and she just looks at me with big tears in her eyes. “It’s the last thing I will ever ask you.”

“We said everything that needs to be said,” she says and sits up. “It’s just too much.”

“I didn’t say what I need to say,” I say. “I’m asking you to give me the chance to tell you everything.”

“You had your chance,” she says as she stands. “Just leave me.”

“I can’t,” I say, standing in front of her. “Just give me this chance.”

“If I give you this one chance,” she says, “promise me that after this, you will leave me alone.”

There is no way in fuck I can promise that or would, but I know that if I don’t, she won’t come with me, so I lie to her for the first time ever. “I promise.”