Chapter 213

He made it almost all the way to her before she heard his approach and turned to face him with her arms held like a defensive shield over her chest and her eyes blazing. The softness and vulnerability of their earlier conversation were gone. Now all he saw was pride, rebellion, and stubbornness to back down from a fight. Especially when it came to protecting the people she loved.

Her voice didn’t waver at all when she said, “I’ve always believed people should be allowed to make their own decisions. I just never dreamed Andrew would make such bad choices.”

“Bull.”

Her gaze snapped to his. “What?”

“You’ve always thought you should be allowed to make your own decisions. And you’ve always thought everyone else should do what you think is best.”

“But—” she sputtered. “That’s not tr—”

“Yes. It is true.” He couldn’t resist reaching out a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s not a bad thing, wanting to protect the people you love.”