“You’re insane,” she said, still thoroughly confused.

“I know, but humor me, just for a minute.”

She sighed. “I see myself and you.”

I poked her in the side. “Describe yourself.”

She looked at me like she thought I’d lost my mind. “I don’t know, Ethan. I’m me. Brown hair, big lips, super awesome boobs from having Amelia. I’m just…me.”

I laughed. “Your boobs are super awesome even though you didn’t think so not too long ago. Do you want to know what I see when I look in the mirror at you?”

“What?” she asked in exasperation.

“I see a woman who is no longer defined by what she always thought were her flaws. She doesn’t stop to obsess over whatever flaws she thinks are there. She looks at the big picture and points out her best features.”

“What are you getting at here?” she asked.

“If I’d asked you to do this a year ago, or even six months ago, what would your answer have been?” She shrugged. “You could barely stand to let me take your clothes off because you didn’t feel beautiful, Caley. Now, you pull them off before I have the chance. The woman looking back at you in that mirror isn’t hunched over with her hair covering her face, trying to hide from everyone and everything. She’s standing up straight, facing the world head-on.”

“I don’t know about that…” she said uncertainly.

“I do. The woman looking back at you right now? You made her completely on your own. You didn’t depend on me or your parents or anyone else. Life threw you a curveball. You hit a home run with that bastard all on your own. You owned that shit.

“One time, you told me that your greatest fear was falling back into the way you had been with Joey, only with someone else. You didn’t do that, Caley. You took control. You were amazing before, but now, you’re goddamn incredible. You’re invincible. And that”—I paused—“is why I love you so much that it actually hurts sometimes. There’s no one else out there like you.”

“Why are you telling me this?” she whispered.

“Because I want to show you how strong you are. You weathered your storm, the one you had been sure would pull you down, and you came out stronger. You don’t need me or anyone else. You’ve done all of this on your own, only looking to me for support once in a great while.”

“I’ve never seen myself as strong or pretty,” she admitted. “I’ve always looked at my downfalls.”

“Are you looking at them now?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No, I’m looking at a woman who’s happy with who she is and with where she is in life. The woman in that mirror is standing next to someone she loves more than life—not because she feels that she has to love him or that she’ll be all alone, but because she simply loves him.”

“I love you, too. You and Amelia mean the world to me.”

“We love you more.” She turned to face me. “We love you with all our hearts. For the first time in my life, I feel completely content.”

“Get used to that feeling because it isn’t going anywhere,” I told her.

“Love was always this elusive thing that I could never quite grasp. It was always just outside of my reach. Now, I feel I’ve truly conquered it. It’s incredible to feel this way.”

I smiled down at her. “Love is elusive—until you find the right person.”

“I guess so.” She stood on her toes and deeply kissed me. “Now, I’ve found you. I’ve captured love.”

Love was elusive. It was also fucking terrifying. But in the end, we would have to face our fears to become the person we wanted to be, and then we could take life by the balls. Then and only then, could we find the happiness we’d longed for, the happiness we deserved.

I knew one thing for certain. Caley and I weren’t going to walk away from this. We weren’t sprinting into it, but we weren’t walking away. We were going to take our time and explore every moment, every emotion.

Time didn’t matter because we’d found that elusive thing called love.

OTHER BOOKS BY K.A. ROBINSON

TORN SERIES

Torn

Twisted

Tainted

Toxic: Logan’s Story

Tamed

Adam: A Torn Series Novella

TIES SERIES

Shattered Ties

Twisted Ties

DECEPTION SERIES

Deception

Retribution

STAND-ALONES

Breaking Alexandria

Taming Alec

Steam

The Consequences of Sin

WRITING UNDER THE PEN NAME K. ANNE

Ultimate Temptations

PLEASE CONTINUE READING FOR AN EXCERPT OF DECEPTION!

I’m strong—or at least, I want to be. I try to be. Oh, how I’ve tried.

But life screwed me over. When I was at my weakest and lowest, desperate and alone, he found me.

Robert changed everything. He gave me everything.

He was every woman’s dream—rich, powerful, and charming. He made me forget the fact that he’s twenty-four years my senior.

He made me feel alive, and for the first time in my life, I was content.

Until I met Cooper—his son.

And Robert? He began to change.

I’m despicable. I know I am. I’m ashamed of what I want.

Things are never what they seem.

Greed.

Lust.

Lies.

Murder.

Deception.

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My feet were killing me. All I wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and crawl into bed.

Work had been brutal tonight. I’d been working at the same diner for almost two years, but up until last week, I’d only been part-time. The day after I’d graduated from Morgantown High School, I’d switched to full-time.

I didn’t really mind waitressing, but my body was still getting used to being on the move constantly. The diner, a small family-owned business, was always busy with the same customers. Most of them knew me by now and usually tipped well. A few college kids would come in from time to time, but they usually went to one of the more popular spots in Morgantown. I didn’t mind though because they were normally the ones who would leave crappy tips.

I pulled into the driveway of my foster parents’ house and yawned. I hoped they were asleep. My foster dad, Rick, was an asshole to me most of the time. The only reason he kept me and the other foster kids around was because of the nice checks he would receive for taking care of us. I knew my time here would be up soon. Today was my eighteenth birthday. Hopefully, my foster dad hadn’t remembered. I didn’t feel like getting kicked out of the only place I had to go tonight.

My foster mom, Tammy, wasn’t as bad as Rick. She could even be nice at times, but her fear of Rick’s temper would keep her from defending any of the kids. Rick wasn’t physically abusive, but when his temper got the best of him, he’d go on a rampage that rivaled a three-year-old’s. Tammy had learned long ago to lock up anything breakable.