“Why can’t you?”
“Because letting you talk opens me up to heartache, Rooster, and I have managed to compartmentalize for a long time.” His burn was clean, so I treated it and wrapped it back up. “Itnever does anyone any good to start picking at threads.”
“I love you, Katie.”
I hissed through my teeth, the sting of tears forming in the back of my throat. “You’re a goddamned fucking liar.”
“You know, you’re the only one.”
As he rolled his sleeve back down, I busied myself with cleaning up the trash.
“Only one, what?” I asked, regretting it immediately.
“The only woman I’ve ever kissed. The only woman I’ve ever fucked. The only woman I’ve ever loved.”
“Get out.”
“No.”
“Kam—”
He slid off the bed and stood in front of me. “I fucked up, Katie. I can’t take any of that back. There are reasons but only you can decide if they’re good ones and move past them.” He cupped my face and leaned in. “The truth…the god’s honest truth, beautiful, is that I love you. There has never been anyone but you since I left. Hell, there hasn’t been anyone since we were fourteen, and there never will be.”
I lost my war with my tears as I rasped, “Why?”
One of his hands slid to my neck, and he tugged me into his chest, wrapping his other armaround my waist. “I will explain everything. I just need you to hear me out.”
“Did my mother tell you to do this?”
“No, of course not. She just said I’d need to get creative.”
“And this is your idea of creative?” I screeched.
He shrugged, giving me his lopsided grin, which nearly broke my resolve.
“You broke my heart,” I rasped.
“I know, baby. I broke my own as well.” He ran a thumb over my cheek catching my tears. “So much shit went down, and I couldn’t deal. In my stupid young man brain, I thought I was protecting you from me, but I realize now that I should have given you the chance to make your own choice.”
I nodded into his chest as I continued to break down. “I can’t do this all over again.”
“I’m hoping we won’t have to,” he said, stroking my back. “I want to mend things, Kate. I want to figure out a way to fix what I broke but I can only do that if you let me.”
“How are we going to get past all of the men I’ve fucked since you’ve been gone?” I lied. “I know how jealous you get.”
“All of them, huh?”
“So, so many,” I taunted.
“Can you count on one hand how many?” he challenged.
“Nope.”
“Because there haven’t been any,” he said, matter-of-factly.
I played with a button on his cut as I continued to lie my ass off, “You don’t know.”
“I do know.” He settled his chin on the top of my head. “I’ve kept tabs, remember?”
