April owed me an apology this time.
April
Stone was fuming. I knew him inside out. Honestly, Stone hadn’t changed that much. Something was bothering him, and while angry at me, he was absolutely livid at someone else. Anxiously, I got in the passenger side and let Stone drive out of the car park in silence. As soon as he hit the road, I turned to him.
“We’re going back to that man’s house?”
“Margrave,” Stone gritted out.
“You’ve new evidence? You found Julie?” I asked, hope in my voice. Stone’s expression softened a little.
“No. But that asshole’s been playing games. He’s found the tracker and has been leaving it behind when he leaves. Worse, Margrave’s been driving to random places to make me chase my fuckin’ tail. This ain’t a game when a teen’s life is on the line.”
“I agree.”
We sat in silence, and I felt awkward. I didn’t know where to start with my apology. “Stone, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry’s just a word, remember?” Stone bit out.
I flinched. I’d said that before.
“Yup, I know, but I regret acting as I did. Old memories overwhelmed me and mixed with jealousy; it wasn’t healthy. Briar’s turned into a stunning woman, barely recognisable, and I was jealous. Old insecurities won out instead of being an adult.”
“Not disagreeing.”
“Will you forgive me?” The words fell into a loaded silence. Stone was thinking things through. That didn’t bode well. Tension mounted in my spine, and I wanted to snap.
“Say something,” I finally pleaded, biting hard on my control.
“Like what, April? I explained why I did what I did. Those were the actions of an immature, inexperienced kid who didn’t want to drag his girlfriend down with him. Back then, you were my world. Being tied to a jailbird wasn’t a situation I wanted for you. Sure, I could have done things differently, but I was scared, lonely, and panicked. I fucked up. You got badly hurt, but out of that came your fuckin’ amazing career. That I don’t regret.”
“I don’t either.”
“But I won’t walk through life on tiptoes, waiting for the hammer to drop. If I have to be constantly on guard in case a woman talks to me or smiles at me, that ain’t living. When I say I’m with someone, I don’t cheat, and I never cheated on you, no matter what you think. We’d broken up before I pulled that stunt with Chelsea. And again, that was for two reasons.
“First, Chelsea was a shit friend. She constantly flirted behind your back and made disparaging remarks about you. Before I left, I needed to prove how poisonous Chelsea actually was. That I succeeded in doing. The second was to ensure you stayed away and weren’t labelled as a ‘jailbird’s woman’. You might not like it, but I acted on your behalf,” Stone ground out.
“I know you did. Please, can we try again?”
“I don’t know. Frankly, April, I don’t think I can handle being judged all the time and having to walk on eggshells. I get that I did a number on you and your self-confidence, and I understand I’ve got a lot of work to do building you back up. But this shit, this petty jealousy? Nah, I don’t have the energy to deal with that.”
Chapter Fourteen.
April
Fuck. I’d really screwed up. Stone was implacable in his thoughts and words. However, I wasn’t totally to blame; he had to accept some of the responsibility.
“Look, can you at least see my point of view?”
Stone’s jaw clenched. “What do you believe I’m doing? I’m sitting here listening instead of cutting you loose.”
Stone’s comments stung and hurt. Wrestling my temper, I spoke calmly. “Thanks for nothing. Do you think it’s easy to rely on you, Stone, to take a risk again? Every time we get close, I see Chelsea fucking you. That’s your fault, not mine. Damn you for putting that picture in my head, because no matter what I do, it doesn’t fade. I’m trying to build trust. I asked you out, remember? That’s not because I wanted to punish anyone. Blame me all you want, but walk in my shoes. Imagine you walked in and saw… I don’t know… Smokey going down on me, how would you feel?”
Stone flinched. “I’d hate it, but I wouldn’t live in that moment. April, you asked me out. If you can’t move on, why did you?”
“I’m trying to! Just give me time. Is that too big an ask?”
“How much time, April? Is this even worth the grief?” Stone shot back, and I recoiled.
