Finding Delaware (State of Us Book 1) by Bree Wiley

Author:Bree Wiley [Wiley, Bree]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-10-21T00:00:00+00:00

Taylor

Huckslee’s entire body is stiff as a board, muscles so tense that it looks painful. His hands fist the sheets, bracing for a blow he feels I’m about to deliver.

And in a way, I guess I am.

My heart is beating rapidly in my chest, the terror in my veins still present from when I found him sitting on the ground outside the Prospector, looking gray as a ghost. Not breathing.

Fuck, I thought I killed him. Again.

Taking a shaky breath, I moisten my lips and close my eyes, needing to block out the sight of him if I’m going to get through this. Because he’s here, and he’s finally willing to listen to me. I’m going to tell him all of it. Even the hard parts.

“Huckslee, I’ve been in love with you since the eighth grade.” My skin prickles under his gaze, but I keep my eyes closed. “I didn’t realize it until after I crashed your car, though. But before I get to that, there’s something else I need to say.” Another breath. “I used to...I used to start fights with you so that I could hide the bruises from my dad. Blame it on you. In case anyone came asking, you know? Like that time freshman year. I know you think it was only my bike I cared about, but if he got caught, I knew I’d get taken away. And Maisie proved she didn’t want me, so I figured they’d send me here to the city where I’d never see Christian or the guys again.

And if he found out there was even an inkling of me being interested in guys, the same thing would happen. No more motocross, no more Christian, no more anything that made life at least a little better. Looking back, it’s kind of dumb because other kids had it worse. Like, all he did was break my hand once, maybe a rib a few times, but–”

“Stop that,” Huckslee cuts me off fiercely, “you’re downplaying. He hurt you, Taylor. It doesn’t matter if it wasn’t as bad as you think it could have been, it was bad enough. And it happened to you, so it matters, dammit.”

A hoarse laugh leaves my dry throat. “You sound like my therapist.”

“So listen to them. None of this ‘others had it worse’ bullshit. Your experiences are valid. Say it.”

I crack open an eye to catch him staring at me with his lips pressed into a hard line. He looks so serious. Fucking cute. I can’t help it; my mouth twitches into a crooked grin.

“It’s not a joke,” he growls, glaring at me. “Say it right now.”

“Ok, Jesus. My experiences are valid. Happy?”

“No. Continue.”

God, he’s so grumpy.

Huffing a laugh, I scoot closer to him, unable to stop myself from seeking comfort in his touch. His chest hitches when it collides with mine, and I close my eyes again, pressing my face into his shoulder. “Remember New Year’s Eve?”

His arms tentatively come up around me, warm breath caressing my cheek. “Yes.”

“I still don’t remember much about what happened.

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