9
Being trampled hurt like the dickens, but Abigail felt a kind of gratefulness for it had gotten her here—in Mateo’s arms. When he held her, she felt peace, as if everything in her world would be okay.
He had always been that anchor for her. Since the moment she met him, Mateo Hernandez calmed her storms and gave her hope. She hadn’t even known she’d needed him until he cropped up in her life and refused to leave.
“I’m okay,” she said as he tried to maneuver opening the car door while having her in his arms. Abigail didn’t want to be put down, but it would be easier for Mateo if he had his hands free.
“I’ve got this,” he said with the dogged determination that had gotten him through her tutoring. At last he pried the door handle open with the tips of his fingers and deposited her gent
