ready to go see what presents you got?”

I was exhausted from lying awake all night and I rolled onto

my side, situating my hands beneath the pillow. “I’m not in the

mood for presents.”

She placed a hand on my back and I jumped, thinking about

the last time someone had put a hand on me while I was lying in

the bed. “Callie, are you all right? You’ve seemed so sad the last

few months.”

“I’m fine,” I snapped. “I’m just sick of Christmas and

pretending that I believe in things when I really don’t. There is no

Santa, Mom. I haven’t believed in him since I was eight.”

“Well, of course I know that,” she replied, lifting her hand

from my back. “But it takes the magic and fun out of it if we don’t

all play along.”

“Magic and fun doesn’t exist,” I said, wiggling away from her.

“And I’m tired of playing along… I’m going to go back to sleep. I’m

tired.”

She sat there for an eternity, breathing in and out, and then

finally she rose to her feet, the mattress rising as her weight left it.

“All right.”

That’s all she said. Then she left and the room and the

haunting memories took over again. Even now, I wonder why she

never said anything. She had to be able to tell that something was

wrong. One of these days, I’ll find the courage to ask her. I have to.

Otherwise I’ll never know and the answer will always haunt me.

“Callie.” Kayden’s voice echoes through my thoughts. I lift my

eyes, realizing I’ve dozed off. I elevate my head and glance around

at the darkness outside and the ocean in the distance.

“Did I fall asleep?” I blink my eyes and then let go of his

shoulders to rub the dreariness away.

He nods, sweeping a lock of my hair out of my face. “You

did, but that’s okay.”

My cheeks and eyes feel swollen from the sting of tears. “I’m

sorry.”

His fingers linger on my cheekbone and he’s looking into my

eyes, terrified. “I said it was okay, Callie. And I promise it is… I liked holding you… It made me feel calm.”

I suck back the tears that still want to come out. “Okay.”

He nods and there’s a silent agreement that we’re both okay

for the moment and that being together is okay. I start to climb off

his lap, but he grabs my waist and shifts me aside so I slide onto

the seat. I put my feet on the floor, confused as he reaches for his

pocket. He takes out his wallet and pulls out a twenty, and then he

leans over the seat and hands it to the driver.

He starts to move back into the seat but then drifts to the

side and grabs the door handle. Flicking it up, he pulls the door

open and then hops out. He stretches his arms above his head and

then offers his hand to me. I take it, feeling the warmth of his skin as he helps me out and doesn’t let me go as he closes the door.

We both stand in the driveway beside Luke’s truck as the cab

backs down the gravel path and out onto the street. Once he

speeds off, Kayden looks at me.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” he asks, nodding his head at

the shore.

I nod through a sniffle. “A walk sounds nice.”

He gives me a tiny smile and laces our fingers together. We

walk hand in hand past the house and step out onto the shore.

Sand fills up my sandals and is cool against my skin. It’s hard to

walk, because they keep getting stuck, so I stop, giving a gentle

tug on his arm.

“What’s wrong?” he wonders, refusing to let go of my hand.

I wiggle my feet out of my sandals and bend over to scoop

them up, hitching them on my finger before standing back up. He

nods, understanding, and then we continue walking deeper into

the darkness. I can hear the waves rolling like a lullaby and the

sound of music drifts from one of the houses. The sand seeps

through the cracks between my toes as I listen to every sound and

feel the coolness of the air.

“Are you cold?” Kayden asks as we slow down just out of

reach of the water.

I glance at my arms, feeling myself shiver, and in the

moonlight, I see the goose bumps on my arms. “A little.”

He sighs and then glances back at the house up at the top of

the sandy slope. “Let me run back and get you a jacket.”

I quickly shake my head and strengthen my hold on his

hand. “No, please stay here. We need to… we need to talk.”

He eyes me over skeptically and in the darkness his eyes look

hollow. He rubs the back of his neck tensely and then he lowers

himself onto the ground, guiding me down with him. He gives me

a gentle tug to the side and maneuvers me onto his lap, settling

me against him. I lean back, shutting my eyes, feeling safe, feeling

like this is where I belong.

Kayden is the only guy who’s ever made me feel this way,

more than Seth, more than my own self. He is all I need and I hope

he feels the same way too. But before I ask, there’s something else

I need to know—need to understand.

I summon a deep breath and the release it out into the open.

“Kayden, what happened?”

Three tiny words, so heavy and meaningful that they crack

the earth. He tenses and so do I, before I turn to look him in the

eyes. He swallows hard and so do I. He takes a deep breath and it’s

nearly soundless as it eases back out of his lips.

His lips part and as his voice slides out, my heart nearly

stops. “My father stabbed me.”

Kayden

I have no idea why I tell her. I wasn’t planning on it. I was

planning on keeping it a secret forever, just like everything else.

But she’s sitting there, waiting for me, trusting me enough to hold

her and be close to her. She expects the truth and I want to give it

to her. I want to give her everything.

“My father stabbed me.” And just like that, I’ve shattered the

box inside my heart and it fractures into a thousand jagged

splinters.

Her eyes widen and her breath hitches in her throat. She’s

verging on crying again, so I wrap my arms around her and pull

her against me. “Relax, I’m okay now.”

Her skin is like ice. I rub my hands up and down her arms,

trying to warm her up. She shivers, not from the cold but from my

touch. Or maybe it’s from the shock I’ve just given her. I suddenly

wish I could take it back, because I never should have put it on her

shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” I apologize. “I shouldn’t have put that on you.”

Her hands wiggle between our bodies and she flattens her

hands on my chest. Pushing away from me, she looks me in the