Stay With Me

stay with me GROVEWOOD INK BOOK 2 SAGE ST. CLAIRE contents Artwork Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Epilogue Also by Sage St. Claire Acknowledgments About the Author © 2022 Sage St. Claire All rights reserved The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This novel contains content intended for a mature audience only. Due to explicit language, graphic sex, detailed depictions of violence, and other possible triggers, reader discretion is advised. For a detailed list of triggers, please refer to www.sagestclaire.com Cover design by: Sage St. Claire Printed in the United States of America Dedicated to my preteen self. I know things seem so dark right now, but you have no idea how brightly you’re going to shine. For you I would ruin myself a million little times taylor swift playlist Em Beihold - Not Who We Were Tom Walker - Wait for You (Acoustic) Haven - Friends Don't Fuck G-Eazy & Halsey - Him & I Ciara - Ride ft. Ludacris Tate McRae - that way Teddy Swims - Amazing Brantley Gilbert - baby be crazy Dermot Kennedy - Better Days Taylor Swift - End Game ft. Ed Sheeran, Future James Arthur - Avalanche Danielle Bradbery - Never Have I Ever Sam Riggs - Fire & Dynamite Kane & Katelyn Brown - Thank God Aaron Lewis - Tangled up ft. Alexa Carter Find the full playlist on Spotify HERE! Artist credit: Samantha Ludwitzke of Samantha's Doodles prologue KELSEA 4 Months Ago The edges of my vision blur as the pain in my abdomen throbs. I try to apply as much pressure as I can to the area. I know blood is steadily pouring out of my body, but I’m not doing much good. I think back on the last 6 hours of my day. After my best friend, Ember, called to tell me she’s pregnant, I immediately went into fun auntie mode. I hit every baby shop in the mall and bought every gender neutral option I could find. I don’t care what this baby turns out to be. I’m so excited for her and Elijah. As I came out of the building, I heard someone call my name. When I turned to look, I felt a white hot burn like nothing I’ve ever felt before. My body betrayed me and I couldn’t move, couldn’t fight back. I felt a sharp sting in my neck and from that moment, everything went black. When I finally woke up, I recognized the familiar rooms of Ember’s old apartment. That fucking bastard tased me! Ember has been on the run from her psycho ex for months now, and it looks like he’s finally caught up with us. The next several hours are a blur of pain and anger as I fight to stay conscious. I remember the comforting sound of Ember’s voice in my ear as she reassured me we were getting out of this. I remember hearing a loud banging, like the sound of a herd of wild horses running through the living room of the small apartment. Yelling, gunshots, Ember’s one Everett Blake would love to believe he sees me the same way he sees his sister, but we both know the truth. We’ve been dancing around each other for years. Throughout the entire recovery process after my attack, Everett stayed by my side. He folded his large frame into the most uncomfortable hospital chair ever, just so he wouldn’t have to leave me alone. He whispered to me that I was going to be okay when he thought I was asleep in that hospital bed. It was his hand that held mine as the doctor told me I would likely never be able to have children of my own. His face mirrored mine in the sorrow I felt hearing that news. Somewhere along the road during my hospital stay, I became attached to Everett’s presence. When he wasn’t there, I was looking for him. When he was next to me, it was the only comfort I felt all day. But I wasn’t blind or stupid. I saw the sideway glances he gave the nurses. I heard the incessant pinging of texts on his phone. Everett Blake is and may always be a manwhore. It’s just who he is. I wasn’t under any misconceptions that he was interested in changing that. That’s the main reason I’ve never been interested in blurring the lines of our friendship to push for something more. If I’m not enough to be the only one, then why waste my time? Unfortunately, I was dumb enough to take Everett up on his offer to move into my best friend Ember’s old room in his townhouse after I left the