Free Rush (Roam Series, Book Four) by Kimberly Stedronsky

curled against me, her cheek on my shoulder. “Logan… I will always love you… I will love you like I love wading in the lake… or riding the Ferris wheel, or… being with my mom. You are the other half of me.”
    I couldn’t speak. She laced her fingers in mine.
    “But I can never be with you the way you need me to be. I can never be your wife. Logan… I’m already gone.”
    The candor in her voice made me turn to her. I tilted her face to mine to dive into those green eyes one more time.
    I realized, at that moment, that I was finally reassured…
    And so fucking relieved.
    “Okay, then.”
    Her mouth, so close to mine, beckoned. I kissed her, distantly, detached… cordial. I registered the taste of cinnamon instead of her favorite mint toothpaste.
    She moved her mouth to my cheek, and then put her arms around me.
    “Tell Violet how you feel.”
    That night, I stared at my phone in silence. My parents had already left for the weekend, and I knew Roam was occupied with her own drama.
    Call Violet. Tell her how you feel.
    I held my phone in my fingers, jerking when it rang suddenly. I read the number on the display and rolled my eyes, lifting it to my ear.
    “This is Logan.”
    “I need your help.”
    “ Then call her dad or Morgan,” I snapped.
    “No, she’s not here.” West cleared his voice. “When you pick her up in the morning, though, will you try to convince her to bring her swimsuit? I want her to get back in the pool.”
    “I already planned on that.”
    “ Good.”
    I almost hung up, but his voice stopped me. “Logan, can I talk to you about something?”
    I sat up on my bed, glancing out the window at the swirling snow under the streetlight near the road. “What.” After a moment of silence, I exhaled an irritated sigh. “ What? ”
    “Please don’t hurt her.”
    Stiffening, I moved the phone into my field of vision for a moment before pressing it back to my ear. “Why would I hurt her? I like Violet.”
    “Not Violet. Roam .”
    I reached for th e windowsill, digging my fingernails into the soft wood.
    “I know the dreams are vivid. I’m waiting for you to snap.”
    And there it was. I felt like barfing my guts up on my bedroom carpet.
    Fueled by resentment, I gripped the phone in my instantly-sweating palm. “This isn’t like the other lives. I love Roam. Not the way I used to… but not any less.”
    “Her choosing me… doesn’t anger you?”
    He sounded like a smug lawyer leading me to perjury. I decided to ignore his question. Yes , it pissed me off, but not as much as it did… before Violet.
    “ Honestly, I’ve got one girl on my mind, and it isn’t Roam.”
    The stillness on the line had me checking so see if he’d hung up. Finally, he spoke. “My first instinct is to threaten you. But, you’ve earned my respect, Logan, and that’s not fair. I don’t know what’s going to happen when we cross over, and the bottom line is- I need your help.”
    Shaking my head to no one, I narrowed my eyes. “ Why do you think I’m coming? Of course I’m going to help.”
    “Even if that means fighting - maybe to the death- for someone you can never have?”
    I thought about Troy, and the history behind the prophecy. He thinks I’ll betray Roam. “I’ll make you a promise.” I stood, pressing my heels into the carpeting. “I’ll make sure she’s never alone. If you can’t be there for her, then I will. No matter what. ”
    He listened without speaking. Finally, I heard him clear his throat. “Thanks, kid.”
    “Again- it’s for Roam. I would have done it anyway. But apparently, being the needy prick that you are, I have to say it out loud.”
    He disconnected without another word.
    I decided to sleep on the living room couch; I’d noticed that the less comfortable I was at night, the less likely I was to dream. After staring at my phone through half of an episode of Homeland , I finally pulled up Violet’s last text.
    With one thumb, I typed I can’t stop