The ache in my chest intensified. “I really do.”
He tried smiling again, but the warmth didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Then we’ll figure it out. Just maybe give me a little time.”
“Of course.”
I left his shop feeling both relieved and guilty. Ending things had been the right choice, but it hadn’t been an easy one.
Needing to be alone, I headed home. The apartment was dark when I walked inside, but I didn’t bother turning on the lights. I just toed off my shoes, set my keys on the kitchen counter, and curled up on the couch with my mom’s scarf in my lap.
At least the crying was done. For now, anyway. And for the first time since Gage showed up at the bakery door this evening, I felt something ease inside me.
I wasn’t at peace, but I had a little more clarity.
I’d been running from the truth for three years. Pretending Gage was nothing more than the man who broke me. That the heartbreak had cauterized every part of me that used to belong to him.
But when I closed my eyes, I saw how unguarded he’d been when he handed me the scarf. I’d never seen him be so open back then.
And for the first time since I found out that he was engaged to Vanessa, thinking about him didn’t ignite only anger. Even if he’d messed up in ways I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive, I finally knew he hadn’t meant to end us, let alone erase me from his life.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I reached for my phone on the coffee table. My thumb hovered over the screen before I pulled our text messages and typed.
Me
Thank you for bringing the scarf back.
I stared at the message long enough for doubt to crawl in. Then I pressed send before I could talk myself out of it. It didn’t take long for the Read status to appear beneath it.
I wasn’t ready to forgive Gage or let him back in, but I was happier than I should’ve been that he’d taken the time to find my real number and unblock me on his phone.
10
GAGE
When I fixed Tessa’s contact information in my phone and unblocked her number, I didn’t think it would ever make a difference. I couldn’t let Vanessa’s interference stand, but there wasn’t anything else I could fix at the time.
But holy fuck, less than twenty-four hours later, and she sent me a text to thank me for sending her scarf back. It was only seven words, and there wasn’t even the slightest hint of anything beyond basic civility, but a wave of overwhelming relief still hit me.
I’d drafted emails that led to deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars that were less stressful to write than figuring out how to reply.
In the end, I went with what felt like the only acceptable response.
Me
You’re welcome.
Those two words were just enough to let Tessa know I heard her but not so much that I pushed her boundaries.
Then I set my phone face down so I wouldn’t obsess while waiting for a response that wasn’t coming. I’d gotten more from her than I deserved already.
Words weren’t going to fix what had happened three years ago. We’d spent all that time apart with Tessa believing I’d completely erased her from my life. Apologies were important, but action mattered more.
If I wanted even a chance to earn her trust again, I needed to do things that made her life better, not more complicated. Like returning her mother’s scarf.
I just needed to come up with more ideas.
Pulling out a pad of paper, I made a list the same way I would for a business deal. Only this one was a fuck of a lot more important. Three years ago, her job would’ve been at the top, but she’d already fixed that issue on her own. I had no doubt she was more than capable of tackling any problem in her life without any help from me, but I wanted to make shit up to her however I could. And there were many instances where throwing money at something fixed it faster, which I could easily do.
I raked my fingers through my hair and made another decision before I could second-guess what I was about to do. Opening my contacts, I called Susan.
