He slowly approached and took a seat across from me. “If I asked, would you have given me an honest answer?”
I looked into my cup. “Probably not.” I had mixed feelings about letting Lincoln in on my stalker issue. How embarrassing was it to tell my ex-boyfriend about my ex-fiancé terrorizing me? I was supposed to be happily married by now, showing myself, the world, maybe even Lincoln that I wasn’t hung up on him since I was a kid. How pathetic was I?
He hummed with amusement. “Then I figured I’d wait until you were ready.”
“I might never be.”
“That’s okay. You don’t owe me anything.”
My eyes snapped to him. “But I do. You’re being so helpful after I snapped the other day.”
“You had a right to. I was wrong, Ava.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Not about wanting to protect you, but about how I went about it. I shouldn’t have demanded that you drop your story. It’s important to you. I’m sorry.”
I gawked at him. Lincoln made it damn near impossible to keep resenting him. I mean, the man was incredibly patient and so freaking…amazing. Damn him for wearing me down like this.
“Thanks for that.”
“An apology isn’t enough,” he said.
“It isn’t…?”
He grinned at my bemused expression. “No. I need to make it up to you. I arranged that meeting with a source close to Phoenix.”
I sat taller. “Oh… Lincoln, thank you.” I wasn’t too prideful to admit I was relieved. Sienna had mentioned an upcoming function—some high-society fundraiser. I’d been thinking about crashing that shindig too, but I’d been doubtful about pulling it off. I’d been so bummed about hitting a dead end with getting information… until now.
“There’s more.”
I put my mug down, paying full attention to Lincoln.
“My birthday is coming up.”
I chuckled. “I know. Are you angling for a gift?”
The smirk that I used to love kicked up at one corner of his mouth. “I won't complain if I get something nice.”
I couldn’t help smiling back. There I went, letting my guard down with him again. It was like an automatic reflex.
“But that’s not what this is about. My friends and I decided that I should host a party on my island.”
I blinked. “Yourisland?”
“Yeah. People buy islands all the time.”
He shrugged it off as if owning a private island was the same as owning a washing machine.
I gawked. “No, Lincoln. People donotbuy islands all the time. That’s not a thing for regular people.”
He seemed unfazed. “Yeah, that’s beside the point.”
My eyebrows elevated.
“I agreed to have the party because it will be perfect.”
“For?”
“You.”
“Lincoln… what…?”
