Maybe Never (Maybe #2) by Ella Miles Page B

because I can’t stand not to at least touch her skin. And then I’m walking toward the door.  
    I know this is the last time she won’t fully hate me. After I testify against her and her grandfather, I will know what true hatred feels like.  
    “My name’s not Liam. I haven’t been Liam since I was seven. I’m Killian. I didn’t lie about that.”  
    She smiles at me, and it’s a memory I will take with me forever, a last piece of happiness she gave to me. And then I leave her to find out how long she has left before her life changes forever.  

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Kinsley

    Killian came to see me again. Each time I see him, it gets harder and harder to tell him good-bye. Each time, it gets harder and harder to tell him no when his body is asking for more.  
    I walk over to my closet and pull out the pastel-pink jacket I’ve chosen to wear with my khaki dress pants. My lawyer said appearance is important in court. I’m supposed to look professional but not too professional. Pretty but not too pretty. He said the most important was to look young and naïve, not like a strong businesswoman.  
    That’s not hard for me though. That’s what everyone thinks of me on a normal day.
    I slip the jacket on and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but it’s no use. Granddad still isn’t well enough to leave the house. My mother is still in rehab. Scarlett and I haven’t made up yet. I have no one to go to court with. No one to lean on for support. I’m on my own.  
    I grab my purse and head downstairs.  
    “Would you like any breakfast?” Paige asks when I walk past the kitchen.  
    I stop, and my stomach growls. She smiles at me.  
    “I don’t know,” I say because I have no idea if I could stomach any food right now.  
    “I’ll make you a smoothie, so you can sip it on your way.”  
    “Thanks.”  
    The doorbell rings, and I stare her in confusion. “Are we expecting anyone?”
    She shakes her head and then goes to gather ingredients to make the smoothie. I sigh and walk to the door. I don’t want to deal with anybody today. I just want to go to court and then climb back into bed and cry.  
    I open the door, and my mouth falls open.  
    “Hi, Kins,” Scarlett says hesitantly.  
    “Hi,” I breathe back.  
    “I, uh…I came here…I mean, I just thought…”  
    I take in Scarlett’s appearance of heels, a black skirt, and a white blouse. I smile.  
    “Thank you,” I say.  
    She smiles back at me, and that’s all it takes to make up. We don’t need any other words. We don’t need to say we are sorry.  
    Scarlett wraps her arms around me, and I can finally breathe. It’s exactly what I needed. Someone to support me today. To know someone will be sitting on my side of the courtroom with me. When she lets go, she grabs my hand instead.  
    “We’ve got this,” she says.  
    I nod, unable to speak. We’ve got this.  
    “You ready to go?”
    I nod again.  
    “Smoothies for two,” Paige says from behind me. She hands me and Scarlett each a strawberry-banana smoothie. “Best of luck, sweetheart.”  
    “She doesn’t need luck. We’ve got this,” Scarlett says, winking at me.  
    I smile as we walk to her car. I climb in the passenger seat, feeling good that I don’t have to drive myself.  
    “How’s your grandfather doing?”
    “He’s recovering well. A therapy team comes twice a day to help him get stronger.”  
    “That’s good,” she says, backing the car out of the driveway.  
    “Company doing well?”  
    “Yeah, it’s doing better than ever actually.”  
    She smiles. “There is no such thing as bad press.”  
    I smile, too. “That’s what I thought.”  
    She hesitates before asking me the last question, the one she’s dying to ask if I know Scarlett at all, “And Killian?”  
    I twirl my hair around my fingers. “It’s over. He’s going to testify against me today. I think, after hearing that, any lingering feelings I have for him