A few hours earlier…
Cracker’s POV
Stepping out from the bar and into the fresh night air was just what I needed. For a second, I just stood there, hoping and wishing that Steel would follow me out. That he’d wrap me in his arms and hold me the way he did before. When I still believed that he’d never let me go…
But a part of me knew that he wouldn’t! Not after that glare I’d given him, the silent warning to stay away. Once again, I’d hardened my heart, refusing to listen as it screamed at me. To not be stubborn, to not be proud. Because at this point…
I was just hurting myself!
I shook off the feeling and walked over to my beat-up pickup, which miraculously still hadn’t broken down. Instantly, Max came to life at the trunk, yipping and jumping around happily. I ruffled his big head---
