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I was pissed off and furious, but none of that was directed at Reese.

She’d had no choice but to keep silent.

I was angry with myself.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I wanted to tell you the truth so badly, but I couldn’t. I agreed to the terms when I was offered a new identity.”

“Don’t ever be sorry for protecting your own life,” I growled. “I hate the shit you’ve been through, Reese. Is your name really Reese?”

She nodded. “Catherine Reese Monroe. I’ve always gone by Reese. I’m the same woman you’ve always known, Devon. I’ve never lied to you about who I am as a person. I’m the same nerd that I’ve always been. I’m thirty-two, not twenty-eight. My age and birthdate needed to be changed.”

“You’re still young,” I grumbled.

“I almost slipped a few times and said that I started watching my diet more closely once I hit my thirties. We got so close, and I got so comfortable with you that it was hard not to make little mistakes once in a while. What else do you want to know?”

“Tell me about your real career,” I suggested. “Why a nurse practitioner?”

“Both of my parents are doctors. I guess it came naturally. I thought about going to medical school, but I found myself more drawn toward nursing. You get more of a personal connection with your patients. After a few years in labor and delivery, I decided to go back to school and become a nurse practitioner. After I finished, Kyle asked me to join his OB/GYN practice. He was an incredible physician, and I loved working with him in the hospital. We weren’t just colleagues, we were friends. By the time I got certified, I’d worked with him in labor and delivery for years. It wasn’t easy waking up from surgery and finding out that he didn’t make it.”

Fuck!I hadn’t meant to bring up bad memories for her.

“You obviously liked your job,” I mused. “How has it been working as an office manager when you’re really a nurse practitioner.”

“I minored in business,” she explained. “So I really do have a business degree. I thought I might want to work in nurse management someday, so I thought the business degree might be helpful. I’ve never worked in a business office in my life. I didn’t want to fail Hannah. That was my only concern. I actually enjoy working at Glam Anywhere, but I do miss my real profession.”

“What do your parents and your friends think about all of this?” I asked curiously.

“They don’t know,” she said in a tremulous voice. “Nobody knows where I am. Them knowing could put them in danger, and any communication could be tracked. I haven’t talked to anyone I love for months. That’s probably the hardest part of all this. I used to talk to my mom almost every single day. She’s probably worried sick about me. All I could say was that I was going away for a while to a safe place, and I’d contact them as soon as I was able. They don’t know I’m living under a false identity in Crystal Fork, Montana. I never thought I’d have to be away from them this long without a single phone call.”

It nearly gutted me when I saw the tears in her eyes.

I couldn’t imagine not having some kind of contact with my family for months.

I could tell she was worried about her parents, and I understood that perfectly.

I took our glasses and put them on the coffee table so I could pull her against me and wrap my arms around her. “I’m not asking any more questions. I hate seeing you cry,” I rasped against her hair.

The woman I was holding had been through so much pain and fear in the last year that I was surprised that she was still calm and sane.

“I’m okay,” she murmured against my shoulder. “It’s probably good for me. I’ve had to hold everything together for so long that I’ve probably never dealt with any of my emotional baggage. That meltdown in your kitchen was the only time I was ever able to lose it.”

Reese’s calmness in a situation like this one amazed me.

She might not be the greatest liar in the world, but her bravery and her ability to keep her head together after all she’d been through was a fucking miracle to me.

I tightened my arms around her. “Feel free to dump that baggage on me any time you want.”

She smacked my arm playfully, “I wouldn’t dump my baggage on my worst enemy, much less a friend.” She paused before she asked in the same light tone, “What was that caveman act you pulled at my apartment tonight?”

“I wasn’t coming home without you,” I said simply. “Youarestaying here with me.”

“You’re doing it again,” she pointed out.

“I’m not fucking around with your safety, Reese. I don’t use it often, but I have an excellent security system here, and we’ll be using it all the time from now on. I’m also getting you a protection trained dog as soon as I can find one.”

“Do you want a dog?” she asked curiously.

“I’ve always had one. I lost my fourteen-year-old female border collie a year ago. I haven’t had the heart to replace her. Now I’m ready for another dog.”