And I believed him.
He had never let me down in the decade we’d been together.If anything, I had let him down.
The plane evened out, and the panic died, but the realization that I was keeping something from him—something huge—settled heavy in my chest.It was just one more way I was going to let him down.
Wyatt had always been my safe space, my steady place to land.And here I was, flying through the clouds with a secret that would change everything.
I pulled back just enough to look at him, his paper Albert mask now resting in his lap, his eyes on mine with a softness that made my throat ache.He didn’t deserve anything I had put him through.
I didn’t deserve his gentle touch, sympathetic gaze, or perfectly timed humor.
Not when I was lying to him.
This weekend couldn’t end soon enough.
For now, I settled back against his shoulder, let his arm wrap around me, and tucked the guilt down deeper for a little longer.
“I’m okay now,” I said.
“You sure?”
“No.”The word burst out with a laugh that teetered on a sob.“But I will be.”
***
Wyatt swiped the card in the hotel door and pushed it open.
“Shit,” he hissed.
“What’s the matter?No fridge?”I pushed past him and paused as my eyes skated over the rose-petaled hearts on the bed and our initials in the middle.A bottle of champagne chilled on the bedside table and… “Are those towel swans?”
He ran a hand over his face and exhaled between his fingers.“Yup.That’s exactly what that is.”
“They really went above and beyond.”
“I forgot I ordered the romance package when I booked.I thought it would be funny.It completely slipped my mind.I’m sorry.”
He dropped his luggage and hurried to the bed.“I’ll clean it up.”
I grabbed his arm before he could push our initials into a forgotten pile of soon-to-be-dying petals.He straightened, eyes boring into mine.
“It’s sweet,” I said.
His gaze darted toward the bed, an exhausted sigh releasing.“It would have been sweeter if I could give you what you want.”
Tears pricked my eyes, and I bit my cheek to divert the pain from my heart.“What we had was real.”
“Apparently not real enough.”
His words slammed into me, hitting low below the belt and knocking the damn wind out of my lungs.What we had was more real than anything I had ever experienced in my life.How could he think…?
“Sorry.”He ran his hand over his face.“I shouldn’t have said that.It’s been a long day, and I’m—”
“No,” I said.“You’re allowed to have feelings, Wy.You’re allowed to be mad at me.Please be mad at me.I deserve it.”
I deserved every harsh thought he harbored deep inside.Every horrible feeling he’s felt since…
He shook his head, his hand coming up and cupping my cheek.I turned into it, wanting the warmth of his touch.“I can’t stay mad at you, Rosebud.”His thumb brushed across my cheekbone, soft and full of affection that was so distinctly Wy.My chest tightened, and guilt tugged at my gut.
