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Oh God Paige! Are you okay?” It’s Millie. She just caught the tail end of the fight as she came up the stairs.
    I can only groan in response. The pain that is shooting through my back and down my left leg is making it hard for my brain to work properly.
    “ Paige? Darling, are you okay?” I look up to find Cutter staring down at me.
    “ Get away from her you asshole. Look what you did now. Just leave her alone before you actually kill her this time.” Cutter looks at Millie with shame in his eyes. He doesn’t respond to her, he just turns and walks toward the stairs where Laney watches with horror.
    “ Cutter…” Laney says as he pushes past her to storm down the stairs. She follows after him.
    “ Are you alright Paige? What do you need?” Millie is kneeling next to me looking terrified.
    “ I’m okay. I just landed hard.” I tell her as I try to sit up. Millie grabs my hand and steadies me.
    “ Give her a second Millie. She needs to let the nerves in her leg get feeling back before she tries to stand.” Holden tells her as he crouches down on the other side of me.
    Seeing his bloody nose I instantly feel horrible. “Oh Holden I’m so sorry.” I tell him.
    “ You have nothing to be sorry about.” He says simply shaking his head.
    “ I should have known better.” I tell him apologetically.
    “ Look we all have at least one crazy ex, right?” He says smiling at me. “Plus I think the blood is really improving my tough guy image.”
    I let out a small laugh. I can’t believe how easy-going Holden is being about all of this. He is quickly becoming more and more interesting to me.
    “ I think I can get up now.” I tell him and Millie.
    They both help me to my feet and I limp a little bit but not as bad as I expected. Thankfully we are only a few minutes from shore and we will be leaving this nightmare cruise behind.
    When the boat docks I stay up above with Holden until it is time to leave. I’m hoping if I wait long enough I will miss Cutter, but of course I can never be that lucky. Holden holds my hand, steadying me, as we descend down the stairs to the main deck. When we reach the bottom I spot Cutter in the corner. Tanner has him pushed against the wall and is talking to him in harsh low tones. Our eyes lock and I can see he is seething with anger. I grasp Holden’s hand tighter and walk past him. Cutter must have noticed Holden has my hand because he growls and starts to try to push past Tanner.
    “ Let it go man! If she wants to be with him now, there’s nothing you are going to do about it. You have to let her go.” Tanner yells at him as he pushes him back against the wall. I can’t hear what Cutter says in response and I’m not sure I want to.
    I duck my head and look at the floor as Holden and I exit the boat. I take a deep breath and let it out once we are safely in Holden’s SUV with Millie and Brooks. We are all pretty quiet on the long drive back to Pullman. It’s clear the night was spoiled thanks to the drama between Cutter and me. The boys pull up outside our house and we say our goodbyes. Millie helps me to my room. She lays out my meds for me and gets me a glass a water to take them with.
    “ You sure you don’t want to go see a doctor?” She has asked me several times but I have refused.
    “ If I feel this bad tomorrow I will make an appointment. I think I just need to rest and then I’ll be fine.” I know she is concerned and frankly I am a little as well, but right now I don’t want to sit in an emergency room. I just want to try to fall asleep and forget this night ever happened.
    “ Okay. You make sure to wake me if you need anything or you get worse.”
    “ I will.” I tell her as she shuts off the light in my room and clicks the door shut.

    I know it’s the pills I have taken; I have the most amazingly vivid dream. I dreamt that Cutter was in my room sitting in the vintage high back chair next to my bed. He was telling me how sorry he was for everything