Only now, she wasn’t so sure she wanted the distance she’d put between them.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
She took a few steps toward him and stopped when they were about four feet apart. “Okay.”
His brows lifted as if he hadn’t expected her answer. The hope that filled his gaze made her guilt that much worse. She’d hurt him. Everything her grandmother had said was true.
Marcus had been overzealous, but he’d done what he had because he was scared of losing her.
Wynter chewed on her lower lip as she waited for him to start. There were a few things she needed to tell him as well, but she wasn’t ready.
Not yet.
Marcus stepped forward, and when she didn’t immediately move away, he reached for her hands. She let him hold onto her but gasped when she felt just how cold he was. Staring down at his fingers, she shook her head. “You’re freezing. We need to get you inside and warmed up.”
“No.”
Her head jerked upward and she blinked at him. “But?—”
“It’s fine, Wynter.” Marcus closed his eyes briefly. His nose was red. So were his cheeks. There was some frost in his hair, and she started to wonder how long he’d been waiting for her.
“Grams would have let you in.”
He opened his eyes, and a lopsided grin tugged at his lips so briefly that if she hadn’t been watching him, she would have missed it. “She already told me several times to come inside. I refused.”
“But… why?”
His thumbs swept over the backs of her hands, and his brows furrowed as he seemed intent on finding the words he wanted tosay. She almost prompted him to speak to her again, but then he lifted his eyes to meet hers.
“You will never know how truly sorry I am, Wynter.”
Those were not the words she’d expected him to say to her. Furthest from it. She’d expected him to make excuses, to tell her he loved her and that he was scared of losing her. She’d been prepared for him to come at her with all the reasons why they needed to be together.
But an apology? Right out of the gate?
She’d thought she needed to apologize to him after the way she’d insisted he leave. Especially when she was the one who ended up taking off.
Wynter was the runner.
She’d left him behind twice now, and yet here he was, standing before her,apologizing.
“Marcus…”
“Let me talk.” He said it a little too brusquely but quickly adjusted his tone to be softer. “Please, Wynter. I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened and my reasons for it. I’ve been going over and over how I handled the situation, and I need you to know…” He scrunched up his nose, a habit she hadn’t seen since they were teenagers. It was adorable and the only indication that he was struggling with a topic.
“Okay,” she murmured.
He nodded. “Okay.” His grip on her hands tightened and he shuffled his feet. Then he smiled again. “I’m in love with you.”
She attempted to hide her smile, but it was fruitless.
Amusement flitted across Marcus’s face. “I know you know that already, but I had to get it out there in case you forgot.”
“I could never forget that, Marcus,” she whispered.
He nodded, but it seemed to be more for himself. Like he was telling himself that it was good she understood what he was trying to say. Then he swallowed, and the movement lookedpainful. He blew out a shaky breath and chuckled. “I’m so nervous.”
Wynter squeezed his hands. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.”
