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I could feel the tears building in my eyes, but I didn’t wipe them away. I just listened, her words piercing through the wall I’d built around myself.

Olivia looked down at her daughter, her eyes filled with love and fear at the same time. “Sometimes, I’m still scared I’ll fail. I’m terrified, actually. But then I look at her, and I think about how much I love her, and it changes everything. Love…it’s bigger than the pain. It’s stronger than the past.”

I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt the tears slip down my cheeks. I blinked, trying to pull myself together, but I couldn’t. Olivia’s words had hit me straight in the heart, breaking open something I’d kept buried for so long.

What if…Everett was wrong? What if there was more for me in this life?

A deeper thought hit me.

What if I wasn’t ruined after all?

“I don’t know if I can do that,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I don’t know if I can be…enough. For anyone.”

Olivia reached over, gently placing her hand on mine. “You’re already enough, Sloane. You just don’t see it yet.”

I stared at her, my throat tight with emotion. I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t as broken as I thought. But it was hard. So damn hard.

Olivia squeezed my hand, her voice soft but firm. “I don’t know you well yet, but sometimes you just know. You can see a kindred spirit—that you’ve survived things most people couldn’t even imagine. Just like me. And just like me…you’re still here. That means something. And if you ever do decide you want kids, they won’t be ruined. They’ll be loved. Because youknowwhat it’s like to hurt, and that means you’ll fight harder than anyone to protect them.”

I couldn’t speak. The tears kept coming, and I didn’t try to stop them this time. I just nodded, my chest aching with a mixture of pain and hope.

Maybe she was right. Maybe I wasn’t beyond saving. Maybe, just maybe, I could learn to believe that.

What was it with Logan…with his group of friends. Every time I was with them…I felt something other than fear.

CHAPTER24

SLOANE

Everett had been quiet. Too quiet. He usually checked in on me almost daily,especiallywhen I was in the middle of a job.

But I’d heard nothing.

I’d thought there’d be hell to pay after Logan ruined my appointment with the congressman, but there’d also beennothingsince that night.

I could have called him, explained that the congressman had bailed before I’d even gotten there…but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I also hadn’t talked to Logan about the fact that he was still paying for my time. I wasn’t sure how much Everett was charging…but even for a professional athlete, it had to be expensive.

I needed to tell Everett I was done.

But…I was scared.

What if Logan changed his mind? We were moving at the speed of light, and I’d always been extremely skeptical of meteoric rises.

And that’s definitely what this was.

“What do you think about Thai food?” Logan mused, scrolling a menu on his iPad. “Or what about steak?” He grinned. “Although if you want some meat, I already have some for you.”

I scoffed, pushing away my worries about Everett for a later date. “That was uniquely terrible, Mr. York. Even for you.”

“I know you say that…but I don’t think I believe you.” He winked, tangling his fingers in my hair as he brought me in for a kiss?—

“Fuck, where is my best friend, and what have you done to him?”

We jumped at the sudden voice, and Logan groaned as he let me go. “I’m sorry in advance for him,” he told me as I glanced confused at the entryway where a gorgeous dark-haired man was lounging against the wall…eating a sandwich.

“I need to put bells on you,” Logan griped, standing up from the couch and pulling me with him. “Or take away your key.”