I'm supposed to leave tomorrow even though I don't want to. I would ask to stay but I don't want to put Matt and his family in danger, I'd never forgive myself if something happened to them. Tonight, Matt is taking me out of the house, this would be the first public date I've gone on in a while. I'm currently sitting in the guest room while Elizabeth does my makeup, feeling nervous because Matt still hasn't told me where we're going.

"You are going to look amazing," Elizabeth says.

"Thanks."

Sighing, she sets down her makeup brushes. "I wish you could stay; I like having a sister around."

I pull her into a hug. "I'm going to miss you too."

She smiles and pulls away. "Are you ready?"

I nod and walk down the stairs, seeing Matt at the bottom of the staircase. His eyes are scanning me up and down, "Damn." He whispers to himself.

I blush, "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see." He takes my hands and leads me out of the house and over to his truck. We get into the truck and arrive at a club.

"Matt, what are we going here?"

"You got a song; I get a dance." He says and opens the door for me. "Come on."

I go inside and let out a sigh of relief as I see a bunch of people country line dancing. "Oh, thank goodness."

"Where did you think I was taking us?" He smirks.

"You're a jerk." I chuckle and playfully smack his shoulder. "I don't even how to line dance."

"I'll teach you."

"Okay, but don't laugh if I step on anyone's toes."

"I promise to keep the laughter to a minimum."

I might have tripped over Matt's feet a few times, but he still had one more surprise left for me after we left the country club. "Where are we going?"

"So impatient."

"Says the one not wearing a blindfold." It wasn't an actual blindfold; he just folded over a banana and used it to cover my eyes.

I hear him chuckle. "Ready?"

"Ready." I took off the makeshift blindfold and gasped. "Oh, it's beautiful."

The sky above us is a mixture of blue and black hues. Dark green trees sway back and forth, making them stand out against the white stars dancing above them. A shimmering blue lake reflects the breathtaking scene.

"This is one my favorite places near the ranch, I like to come out here sometimes and clear my head."

"It's stunning." I turn around and kiss him, pulling away to lean my forehead against his. "Thank you, Matt. Thank you for everything, for making this the best week of my life."

"You know....it doesn't have to end here."

"What are you saying?"

He takes my hands in his, "Tessa. Will you stay with me?"

Dropping his hands, I take a step back. "So.... all of this is just to lure me into staying with you?"

He looks so confused. "What? No. I wanted to share this place with you.... because it means something to me. You mean something to me. I want you and Mallory to stay with us. Besides, Jackson is moving out next week and he's willing to give up his room for Mallory.

I shake my head, "But it isn't safe. What if they find us? What if they show up on your doorstep, what will you do then? These people aren't to be messed with, I can't risk your life. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you, I have to leave Matt."

He looks defeated, "If that's what you want then...I won't force you to stay."

I lean close and kiss his cheek. "I do care for you."

"I know." He whispers.

The drive back to the farmhouse is awkward, to say the least. We sat in complete silence, holding each other's hands. He opens the front door and doesn't say a word. I feel guilty, I should feel guilty. I rejected the best thing that's ever happened to me...all for the sake of safety. Walking back upstairs, I'm conflicted when I stare at the suit packed full of clothes. I sigh and sit down on the bed, looking over at a picture of Matt, Mallory, and me riding horses. This is going to crush Mallory's little heart.

KNOCK.

KNOCK.

"Hey," I'm a little surprised when Matt pokes his head in the guest bedroom. "Um, you left this in my room." He walks in and hands me the cardigan I wore on our date.

"Oh, thanks." I sigh, I can't leave like this, knowingly breaking his heart. "Can we talk, please?"

"Tessa, you don't explain yourself."

"But I do, I can't end things like this. I don't want to leave knowing that you hate me."

He almost laughed, "I don't hate you; I could never hate you."

"Hear me out then," I pat the spot next to me on the bed. "Please."

Matt looks at me for a second and sits down. "I'm listening."

Taking a deep breath, I decide to tell him everything. "Growing up, my parents worked a lot. So, our neighbors, the Harrisons would me and Mark. One day everything changed, both of our parents died, and we were adopted by the Harrisons. Mark and I were rowdy, out-of-control kids. Sometimes, we didn't know better....and as we got older, they started to treat us like vermin. They would take turns beating us, I almost died one time. Sometimes I wish.... I did...that I didn't survive."

Matt pulls me close and places a kiss on my neck. "I'm glad you did, I bet Mallory is too."

"When I found I was pregnant, I knew I had to get out of that house. I needed to escape because of them and him."

"Who?"

"Mallory's father, I endured the worst pain because of him. He was hired to babysit me, then he took a liking to me. I hated that man, you have to know that...I never wanted him....and I tried to fight him off so many times...but he always won, he always wins." Trying to hold the tears back, I start to get choked up on my words. "He took everything from me...he's the reason why I got pregnant in the first place...I wanted to die every time he touched me. Why couldn't I have just died?" I shout and sob uncontrollably in Matt's arms.

"I'm beyond grateful that you did survive," Matt says while rubbing his hands up and down my back. "I'm grateful that I got to meet you and Mallory. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, but I promise I can protect you. You don't have to keep running."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Tessa, look at me." I do and see tears threatening to spill out of his shimmering blue eyes. "I care about you so much, I will never let anything happen to you or Mallory, ever again."

"How can you promise that?"

"You just have to trust me. Do you trust me, Tessa?"

"Yes."

"Good. Because I want this thing that's happening between us to continue. I want to know everything about you and Mallory. Do you want that too?"

I've never felt this way for someone before, and I was sick of fighting off my feelings for Matt. I need to do this; I have to see this through. Not just for me but also for Mallory's sake. Reaching out, I pull on his collar and press my lips against his.

Matt breaks the kiss and smiles. "Was that a, yes?"

"Yes, I'll stay with you."