“There’s plenty of food here if you get hungry.” She takes in the sight of me. “Although it appears you need sleep more than anything at the moment. Did you keep each other up that late?” A suggestive smile takes over her face. “I do have to say thank you for not being loud. Your brother and Georgia tended to make it known when they were … you know.”

“Trust me, I know.”

“Ah, forgot she’s your new roomie.”

I chuckle. “I plan to get some shut-eye here in a bit. Just wanted to say hi.”

“Make yourself at home in the meantime, okay?” She finishes off her bagel and then grabs her bag. “I’m off to teach children.”

When Grace is out of sight, I tip my head down and rest my forehead against the granite countertop. The chill pressing against my skin is a relief to my impending headache. The girl I’m falling in love with is going through something. The last thing I want to do is create more stress, but whoever did that to her needs to suffer the consequences for it. She needs to go to the cops, file a report, get a restraining order. If I don’t find him and break his neck first.

That should be enough of a consequence for him.

Eh, maybe he needs a little castration too.

I grind my jaw, just thinking about it again.

Convincing Cassidy to turn him in will be one hell of a struggle.

With a stressed sigh, I stand, fill up a glass of water, and chug it down. I refill it and carry it to Cassidy’s room for when she wakes.

Sliding back into her bed should be perfect, the best damn moment in the world, but there’s that heavy secret looming over us now. I sink into her mattress, my body growing heavy, and finally shut my eyes, giving in to sleep.

The bright sun shining through Cassidy’s window wakes me.

That’ll be the only damn thing that’s bright this morning. I’m preparing for the worst. No way can I sit back and not question Cassidy about who hurt her. No way can I not demand she turn him in.

She was petrified when her bruise was exposed, and it rotted me to the core that she’d been in pain for who knows how long. My guess is, since the day she skipped Georgia’s party.

I’m unsure of how late we slept in, but rest was long overdue for us both.

When I peer down, I find her awake and squinting up at me in question.

“Good morning,” I whisper, my throat dry.

She offers a sleepy smile. “Morning.”

“How’d you sleep?”

“Good.” She yawns. “Thanks to our spooning.”

How bad has she been sleeping lately?

It appeared to have been days’ worth of exhaustion on her face last night.