He comes closer, and Kate’s hands fall away from my shoulders as I woodenly turn to face him. He looks thinner from this distance. Like he hasn’t been eating enough, or maybe he’s been overtraining. His hair is longer, and as he draws near, there are definite bags under his eyes. His face is drawn. He looks utterly exhausted, and yet, there’s a gleam in his eye as the corner of that stupidly attractive mouth quirks up.
“Hey, Mags.”
Before I can even control myself, my hand connects solidly with his cheek. Jackson grunts, and I gasp in horror at what I’ve done.
Behind me, Kate guffaws. “Damn. How’d that bitch slap feel, there, Kermie?”
Blue eyes trace my face like he’s seeing me for the first time. “I probably deserved that.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask. He’s so out of place in this simple field, on this simple trail. It’s nothinglike the wild adventures we went on together. There’s no adrenaline rush, no epic…anythingto it.
He sweeps a hand behind him, gesturing to the spread he’s laid out. “Hoping we can have a minute to talk?”
Ugly, cold aggravation washes through me. As much as I’ve missed him, I don’t really want to listen to whatever senseless bullshit is about to come out of his mouth. “It’s beenweekssince I’ve heard from you. Youleft. Just tucked tail and ran.”
“I know, Mags?—”
I slice a hand through the air. “Do not call me that.”
The crunch of leaves from Kate taking a step behind me is loud in the silence that follows my outburst. “Um, I’m just going… over there.”
Jackson and I are locked in some kind of face-off as the crunch of her trail runners grows faint. I can’t look away, or he’ll win. If I let go of this hurt for even a second, I’ll lose the fight and throw myself into his arms, and hecannotget off that easy.
Something like remorse twists his handsome face. It’s an expression I don’t think I’ve ever seen on him. “Maggie, let me explain. I was a jerk that night, and I shouldn’t have left like I did, but I had a reason.”
The more he speaks, the angrier I get. “You can’t just waltz in here and expect me to be all happy and welcome you home when there’s literally been radio silence from you since you left.”
Pain twists his face tighter. Good. I want him to hurt. I want to know his heart aches just like mine has since the moment I found out he played me for a fool.
“Please,” he whispers. “Just sit with me for a while.”
What am I going to gain from hearing him out? The concept of what’s-in-it-for-me is new, but since I’m being myown advocate in my business, why not with Jackson? For a split second, I wonder why Kate would put me in this position, but it makes sense that she’s a friend to both of us, and obviously, she’s on his side if she’s gone to this length to set us up.
He can sweat for a few minutes while I consider my options, but I can’t think straight with him breathing down on me. And if he touches me, I’m a goner. Like he’s reading my damn mind, he reaches for me. Without a word, I spin on my heel to put some distance between us.
Kate hovers nearby, acting like she’s trying not to eavesdrop.
“What do I do?” I whisper when I reach her. She glances over my shoulder at Jackson, and I quell the urge to turn and see what he’s doing.
“He looks pretty miserable. Don’t you want to just hear him out?” She’s definitely on his side.
“No,” I whisper yell. “Well, maybe a little. Why would you do this to me?”
“First of all, you two have something special, but you’re both too stubborn to realize it. Second, he’s not himself, and I can’t kick a man when he’s down. I figure it can’t hurt to listen to what he has to say.”
My watery gaze meets hers. “Yes. It can. It already hurts just seeing him.”
Around us, birdsong echoes through the trees. Squirrels chirp from the branches overhead. The sun beats down from a bright blue, cloudless sky. Kate squeezes my hand in solidarity.
I can’t do this. I can’t be here. I’m about to announce as much and let Kate know I’ll meet her back at the trailhead when she says, “He’s been worried about this for days. He’s coming back to town, and there’s a good chance he’ll get hisold assignment because they haven’t replaced him yet. Please, for my sake, give him five minutes. If for no other reason than you’d be doing me a solid.”
Exhaling in defeat, I allow my shoulders to slump. “Fine.”
“I’ll head on up the trail and will wait at the next blaze. If five minutes pass, I’ll head to the trailhead and wait for you at the car unless I hear otherwise.”
Gripping the straps of my pack, I turn to him. With his hands shoved into his pockets and his shoulders rounded, it’s a far cry from the man who barreled down on me and took that first kiss. Right now, he looks a little lost but is watching me with a hopeful eye. It’s adorable and makes me want to go wrap him in a hug, even though I’m mad as hell at him.
Freaking irritating, this wanting him to suffer and to also provide him comfort at the same time.
