“Sam?”

Whipping around, he was behind me. He was drenched in sweat. Shirtless, his shorts rode low on his hips, and he was staring at me. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry,” I gasped out. My heart slammed against my chest. It wanted to go to him, but I reeled myself in. “I am so sorry. Logan told me about the restraining order. I had no idea. I can’t believe my dad would do that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The restraining order.” I looked at him. “The one my dad put against you.”

His eyebrows bunched forward. “Your dad put a restraining order against me?”

“He…” I flushed. Logan. “He didn’t. Logan lied. I’m so sorry...again.”

He gave me a half-grin. “So Logan lied and that’s why you ran me down? To apologize for the fake restraining order.”

“No, to…” I stopped. I hadn’t thought this out. “No, I came to fix things.”

“What do you mean fix things?” His chest was gleaming from sweat and he rested his hands on his hips, breathing in and out.

“Fix you and me.” That wasn’t right either. “Fix our family. I messed it up.”

His eyes narrowed and just like that, the old Mason was back. He’d been staring at me like I was a stranger, but at my news, his eyes flashed. They were fierce and I sucked in my breath. Shit. He was inside of me, just like that. I could feel him reading my thoughts. He had a grip on my heart. He was in me. There was no other way to describe it. The ache began in me. I had missed him so goddamn much.

“Your note said there was no more us.”

I closed my eyes. He was hurting. I heard it in his voice, and it hurt to talk. “I know.”

“Your note said I was supposed to leave you alone.”

“I know.”

It was hurting all over again.

He added, his voice was too soft, “You wrote that you had come between Logan and me and you were taking yourself out of the equation.”

I flinched. Hearing it spoken to me, it was cold. I had been so cold.

He bit out, “We were a damn math equation. That’s what you likened us to. We were math to you, and we didn’t add up.”

“I was wrong.”

“You were more than wrong.”

There was anger in his voice now, and I prepared myself. He had a right to be angry. “I’m so sorry, Mason. I really am. I couldn’t bear the idea that I would come between you and Logan.”

Fury flashed in his eyes. “That’s for me and Logan to decide. Not you.”

“I know.”

“You broke up with me through a note.” He took a step closer. “A f**king note, Sam.”

“I know.” I had no excuse.

“We took you in. We protected you. We treated you like family and you left us with a note.”

Treated me like a family. Those words sent a stabbing pain through me. I thought I had been family? I cleared my throat and spoke, “I was wrong. I thought that’s what I had to do.”

“By a note?”

“I had to leave. I would always be a problem.” I was pleading with him. “You manipulated Logan because of me.”

“I manipulated Logan because I was scared that I would lose my brother. I thought Miranda would realize what button she pushed and she would throw that in his face.”

“I know. Because of me.”

“No.” He shook his head and took another step closer. “Because of me. I chose that action. Whether because of you or another girl, I made that decision to do what I did.” He paused a moment. “I was wrong.”

My gaze jumped to his and I frowned.

He softened. “I was wrong to do what I did. I should’ve brought it up to Logan that night. We could’ve hashed it out, but it never had anything to do with you.”

“It was feelings for me--”

“He doesn’t have feelings for you.”

I stopped. “What?”

“Or he does. I don’t know.” He shrugged, regret flaring over his face for a moment. “That’s Logan’s issue if he does, but I assumed and I was scared. I f**ked the family up, Sam. You leaving through a note, that hurts, but it was because of me that you even felt you had to do that. This whole thing is my fault.” He stopped, took a breath, and lifted a hand to cup the side of my face. “I’m sorry, Sam. I’m so goddamn sorry.”

At the feel of him, my eyes closed. I was home again. His touch made me feel that I struggled against throwing myself at him. I wanted to bury my head into his chest and let everything go. He was home.

He stepped forward and bent so his forehead rested against mine. “I’ve been so angry that I couldn’t apologize to you the right way, but I couldn’t get to you. It hurt. It really hurt that you were scared to talk to me and I couldn’t fix this.”

He cupped both sides of my face, and my hands lifted to hold onto his arms. I felt that he was shielding me again. Him and me. No one else. I murmured, “I wasn’t scared to talk to you. I was scared of myself. I wouldn’t be able to stay away if we talked.”

“You were?”

I nodded, my head moving his at the same time. “Logan showed up at school today and chewed me out. He said I was being stupid and I screwed the family up.”

“No, that was me. All me.” He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. “Logan’s pissed because he can’t fix it. He didn’t do anything to f**k this up so he can’t fix it. He yells at me every day.”

“He does?”

“Yeah.” He cracked a grin, pulling away. His thumb brushed one of my tears away. “He was really mad when I decided to give you space.”

“He was?”

“Yeah.” His eyes darkened, and he dipped down to kiss my cheek. It was soft and lingering. It sent my heart racing. He added, still against me, his lips brushing my skin, “I was going to start trying again, but I figured you were staying away for a reason. I hadn’t given up. I was just waiting. Hell, I planned on showing up in your bedroom one of these nights.”

I grinned at the idea of that. It would’ve been over. The image of him in my bedroom would’ve destroyed any resolve I had against him. I would’ve crumbled, apologized over and over again, and then begged him to take me back. At that realization, I was humbled by my own stupidity. “I’m so sorry, Mason.”