“This is your house?” I asked.

“Mine and Ryson’s,” she said offhandedly, as if I should know who she referred to.

I followed her inside as reporters gathered outside the gate, shouting our names as cameras click away.

“Babe, that you?” a guy’s voice shouted from somewhere deeper in the house.

“No. It’s a robber,” Quinn called out with a giggle as I followed behind her, unsure where we were headed.

“Do you have him?”

I stumbled to a halt as Ryson rounded the corner, his face instantly familiar, and I wanted to smack myself for not realizing who Quinn had been referring to. Immediately, I sized him up, unsure of what was about to happen. He stood about an inch or so taller than me, but we had a similar build. If he threw the first punch, I was fairly certain I’d be able to get the next one in.

He extended his hand toward me and I automatically reached for it; a gentleman never shies away from a handshake, no matter what.

I sucked in a deep breath as we both squeezed hard enough to break the other’s fingers if we truly wanted, which made us both break out into a fit of laughter as we pulled apart. I stood there, shaking out my already swollen hand as Ryson glanced at it, noticing the bruising around the knuckles.

“You need ice,” he said with a chuckle.

“What the hell are you two laughing at?” Quinn stomped her foot, and we both straightened up.

“I’m Ryson. It’s nice to meet you, man. It’s about time you got your Southern ass out here.” He cocked a grin at me as he pulled open the freezer and tossed me an ice pack. “Beer?”

“Definitely. After the way this one drives.” I jerked my thumb in Quinn’s direction, and she snarled at me.

“Tell me about it,” he joked. “We don’t let her out of the house much.” When she smacked his head in response, he shot back, “Woman! Don’t hit me.”

“Don’t call me a bad driver. You know how hard it is to drive on PCH with those assholes trailing me like hunters,” she said with a little pout, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her nose.

I shifted my weight, feeling a little uncomfortable at the PDA since we’d all just met.

Ryson pulled two bottles of beer from the fridge and popped the tops, handing me one.

I took a swig and swallowed it hard. “Thanks.”

“No problem. What happened to your hand?”

“Colin.”

“Did you hit him?” he asked, and I nodded. “I’ve always wanted to hit him. I’m so jealous.” He smacked me on the back, and I almost choked on my beer. “What’d he do?”

“Said something shitty about Paige.”

Quinn sneered. “I hate him so much.”

“Did you tell him why you kidnapped him?” Ryson brought the conversation back on track.

“I haven’t told him yet.” Quinn tried to glare at me, but I could tell she was already warming up to me. I was convinced that her boyfriend accepting me so easily might have something to do with it.

“Told me what?” I asked, downing another gulp.

“It’s a brilliant idea, actually. Hear her out before you say no, okay?” Ryson’s tone had turned serious, which worried me. “Let’s go sit down first, though.”

I followed them through the kitchen, loving how the natural light filtered in from every angle. A glimpse outside at their backyard and view nearly took my breath away. It was spectacular, the kind of thing that dreams were made of, and I was convinced only existed in LA for the rich and famous.

When we reached the dining room, Quinn and Ryson sat down next to each other, so I picked a seat across from them. It felt like a business meeting, not that I’d ever really been in one before.

“First of all, I need to ask you a couple of questions,” Quinn said, her hands folded on top of the table.

I shrugged my shoulders in response and waited, so she went on.

“I heard how Paige talked about you while she was in Hanford. She likes you, really likes you.”

My insides warmed with that revelation, even if I had already hoped for it to be true. “Good, because I’m in love with her and I want to be with her. That’s why I’m here.”

Quinn’s eyebrows practically shot up to her hairline. “You’re in love with her? Well, that will help things. And we already know how you feel about Colin, which is another point for you.”

The mere mention of that douche’s name soured my mood. “I want to kick the living shit out of that guy. He’s lucky I only hit him once.”

“I call dibs on the next Colin beat down,” Ryson said seriously as he turned toward Quinn and jerked his head my way. “I like this guy.”

“Me too. Maybe,” Quinn said to him before glaring back at me. “You really hurt her. She’s my best friend and you hurt her. Worse than jerk-off Colin did, I think.”

“I know,” I admitted honestly because I knew it was the truth. Something inside me knew that things with Paige and me were vastly different than they had been with her and Colin.

“So, what do you plan on doing about it?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

She slammed her hands on top of the table, making me jump. “Did you really come out here without any sort of plan at all? Nothing? Just thought you’d show up and be all hot looking,” she waved a hand in my general direction, “and she’d take you back?”

“So, your girlfriend thinks I’m hot?” I directed the question toward a now-smirking Ryson.

“Apparently.”

“Will you two stop the bromance already,” Quinn said with a frown. “Your plan?”

“I didn’t come here with a plan at first. I just wanted to apologize and get her to give me another chance.”

“How’d that work out for you?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.

“Not great,” I admitted. “I know that I need a gesture, something that will prove to Paige that I can handle being here for her and that I won’t run. I know what she’s afraid of, and I deserve it. But I need to prove her wrong. I need to show her that this lifestyle doesn’t scare me, and that I’d go through all of it to be with her.”

“So you do have a plan, you just don’t know how to execute it. Fortunately for you, I do.” She rubbed her hands together as Ryson raised his eyebrows and took another sip of beer.

Quinn outlined the details of her idea, excitedly going through each point one by one.

When she finished, I looked over at Ryson, feeling a brotherly bond with him already. “You think this is a good idea?”

“I do, actually. It’s sort of brilliant, if you’re up for it.”

“I think I could pull it off.” Taking another swig of beer, I added, “I hope.”

“You can do it,” he reassured me as I internally freaked out. This was something completely out of my comfort zone, but I was willing to do it.

“And you think it will work?”

“Hell yes, it’ll work. Paige is a romantic at heart, and she’d never expect this from you. She knows that this will be a totally uncharacteristic thing for you to do, so she’ll fucking melt over it,” he added.

I nodded in agreement, praying this would be enough, then directed my gaze toward Quinn. “Why are you helping me?”

Her expression finally softened. “Because I love my best friend, and I know she wants to be with you, even if she doesn’t. She’s going through a lot of stuff right now, and she’s trying so hard to be strong in every aspect. I’m really proud of her, but this thing with you…I think she would regret it eventually if she let you walk away.”

I met her eyes and sighed. “I know that feeling all too well.”

Forgiveness

Paige

After seeing Tatum, I’d driven straight to my parents’ house. I was dying to tell my mom how he’d shown up unannounced, then ask for her advice.

My heart hurt and my head was confused. I didn’t know what the right thing to do was when it came to Tatum. I wanted to take him back into my life the second I saw him, but I knew I needed to stand up for myself when it came to him. It was hard as hell, but I had managed to survive it. Barely.