After We Fell Read Online Free PDF Page B

him,” I beg, and he sighs in frustration but agrees.
    Ken has brought his wife, Karen, and Hardin’s stepbrother, Landon, which surprises Hardin and makes me smile. I love them so much for supporting him, even when he acts like he doesn’t want their help.
    â€œDon’t you have anything better to do?” Hardin says to Landon as they approach us.
    â€œDon’t you?” Landon retaliates, which makes Hardin laugh.
    Listening to their exchange, Karen smiles with a brightness completely at odds with how she first appeared when she emerged from Ken’s car.
    As we walk toward the administrative building, Ken says, “I’m hoping this won’t last long. I’ve been calling everyone I can to pull as many strings as possible, so I’m praying for the best.” He stops for a minute and turns to Hardin. “Let me do the talking in there—I mean it.” Watching for his son’s response, he waits for him to agree.
    â€œOkay, yeah,” Hardin says without argument.
    Ken nods and swings the big wooden doors open, leading us all inside. Over his shoulder, Ken says authoritatively, “Tessa, I’m sorry, but you can’t come inside the room with us. I didn’t want to push it, but you can wait right outside.” He turns and gives me a sympathetic smile.
    But Hardin immediately goes into full panic mode. “What do you mean she can’t come inside? I need her in there!”
    â€œI know you do. I’m sorry, but it’s family only,” his fatherexplains as he leads us down the hall. “Unless she was a witness, but even then, that’s a huge conflict of interest.”
    Ken stops us in front of a conference room and muses, “It’s not like I’m not engaged in a conflict of interest, being the chancellor. But you’re my son, and let’s at least have only one conflict, okay?”
    I turn to Hardin. “He’s right, and it’ll be better this way. It’s okay,” I assure him.
    He lets go of my hand and nods, looking past me to shoot daggers at his father, who sighs and says, “Hardin, please try your best to—”
    Hardin holds up one hand. “I will, I will,” he says and kisses my forehead.
    As the four of them walk into the room, I want to ask Landon to wait with me, but I know Hardin needs him in there, whether he’ll admit it or not. I feel so useless just sitting here outside this room while a group of stuffy men in suits decides Hardin’s educational future. Well, maybe there’s one way I can help . . .
    I pull my phone out and text Zed. I’m at the administrative building, can you come here?
    I stare at the screen, waiting for a reply, and my phone lights up less than a minute later: Yes, I’m on my way.
    I’ll be outside , I send.
    With one last glance at the door, I head outside. It’s cold, too cold to be waiting out here in a knee-length dress, but I don’t have much of a choice.
    AFTER WAITING AWHILE, I’ve just decided to go back inside when Zed’s old truck pulls into the parking lot. He steps out, wearing a black sweatshirt and dark-wash jeans. The deep bruising on his face shocks me, despite the fact that I just saw him yesterday.
    He tucks his hands into the pocket on the front of his sweatshirt. “Hey.”
    â€œHey. Thanks for meeting me.”
    â€œIt was my idea, remember?” He smiles, and I feel slightly less unsettled.
    I smile in return. “I guess you’re right.”
    â€œI want to talk to you about what you said at the hospital,” he says, which was exactly what I was planning to talk about.
    â€œSo do I.”
    â€œYou go first.”
    â€œSteph said you told Tristan you’re pressing charges against Hardin.” I try not to look at his bruised and bloodshot eyes.
    â€œI did.”
    â€œBut you told me you wouldn’t press charges. Why lie to me?” I’m sure the