It was then when I realized he was wearing the same clothesfrom last night.Needless to say, he probably had a lot of…cop things going on.“It’s okay.I—”
“It’s not okay.It fucking killed me not to be over here.Fuck.”He dropped his hands and ran one through his hair as he stepped back.“Seeing you last night, with blood on your face—fuck,” he cursed again, lookingaway.“Damn, I said I would protect you.I didn’t.”
“What?”I blinked.“You couldn’t have known that was goingto happen.Even Detective Hart had said he figured the shooter would’ve runafter his friend or whatever was found dead.That’s not your fault.”
The look on his face said he wasn’t so sure of that.“Hefollowed you to your house and he hit you with a gun.You could’ve died, Abby.I—”
“Colton,” I tried again.“I’m serious.It wasn’t your fault.Okay?And you didn’t have to come over here to check on me.I’m okay.You’ve…you’ve done enough.You got your brother and Roxy to take me home and—”
“I’ve done enough?Obviously, I haven’t done enough.”Hisgaze found its way back to mine.“I need to make a couple of things clear.Whenyou left Mona’s last night, you were upset.I get that.You just saw me walkout with Nicole and you left before I could say a single thing to you.Don’tpretend like you didn’t see that.”
“Okay.You, um,seemed busy.”I swallowed, taking a step back.“So that…that’s your ex-fiancée?She’s gorgeous.”
“Yeah, she is.”His brows knitted as he stared down at me.“You know, I was hoping I would hear from you.I figured after Sunday, I wasgoing to leave the ball in your court.”
He had?Had he given that message through man code?I wasn’tgood at reading man code.
“Obviously, you need to work through some issues and I washoping that you would let me help you with that,” he continued.“I’m impatientthough.I was planning on calling you last night, but my brother does thisthing every week at his place—game night.It’s stupid, but fun.I thought I’dswing by his place for about an hour and then call you.”
I didn’t know what to say about any of that, but I wasn’tgoing to stand here like I was mute.I had a voice and I was going to use it.“But you were at Mona’s, with Nicole.”
“I was,” he said, a muscle flexing along his jaw.“I met herthere on the way to Reece’s.When we broke up, there was a watch that mygrandfather had given me before he passed away.One night at her place, I hadtaken it off and I never found it after that.Nicole finally found it.”Lowering his one hand to the pocket of his denim jeans, he fished out a goldwatch that looked like it cost a pretty penny.“She wanted to talk.That’s whywe were in Jax’s office.”
I stared at the watch and then watched him place it back inhis pocket.Part of me felt like an idiot, but how would anyone really react inthis situation?“What did she want?”
Colton didn’t lie.“She misses me.That’s what she wanted totalk about.”
Sucking in a sharp breath, I schooled my expression blank.“Okay.”
His eyes narrowed.“Is that all you have to say about that?”
The frustration rose again, rushing over my skin like anarmy of fiery ants.If last night had taught me anything, it was that I wasn’ta coward.I was a survivor.Ireallyfound my voice then.“What do youwant me to say, Colton?How do I respond to that?I’m not mad that she missesyou.You probably miss her too.You were together for a long time, but…” Mywords started to fade, and while there was a part of me that just wanted toshow him the door and retreat, I refused to do it.“But we just reconnected andI don’t know where our relationship is going.And you know what?Yes.I don’thave the greatest confidence in myself right now.I haven’t seriously datedanyone besides Kevin, and the last four years have been a really long dryspell.And I know that’s not the greatest issue to have, but whatever.I likeyou.”
I’d blurted those last three words out and then I couldn’ttake them back.“Ireallylike you, Colton.I’ve always liked you, butI’m going to be honest.I’m going to suck at this whole dating thing and I’mgoing to have moments when I doubt why you’re here.And it doesn’t help whenyour ex-fiancée looks like aSports Illustratedmodel.I shouldn’thave run from the bar.That was stupid, but guess what, I’m probably going todo a lot of stupid things.That’s just the beginning.”
His lips started to twitch.
My eyes narrowed.“You think this is funny?”
“No.”His eyes said he was lying.“Not at all.”
“Uh-huh.”I folded my arms across my chest and parroted backwhat he’d said earlier.“Is that all you have to say about that?”
“No.That’s not all.”His lips did curve up at the cornersthen.“I don’t think less of you because you don’t see what I see, what I know,when I look at you.That’s the issue I’m more than willing to work with.Youget that?”
I nodded as I pressed my lips together.
“I like you, really like you,” he repeated, and that hope inmy chest sparked into a wildfire.“I’vealwaysliked you, too.Andyeah, Nicole is great looking, but she’s not the person I’m standing in frontof and she’s not the person who gets me hard when I think of her.And she isn’tthe person I almost lost last night.That’s you, sweetheart, all you.”
Warmth invaded my cheeks.Oh…oh wow.
“I can tell you where this relationship is going.Or atleast where I hope it is.We’re going to spend more time together.We’re goingto really get to know each other, and I’m going to chip away at that lowconfidence shit until you see what I see,” he said, and a shiver curled alongthe base of my spine in response to his steely determination.
My breath caught as he took a step forward and lifted hishands, gently holding my cheeks once more.“I want this to work,” he said, hisvoice low.“Because like I said before, I believe in second chances and I don’tbelieve in coincidences.There was a reason why you and I reconnected, and Idon’t want to pass that up.And we almost lost that last night, so really,we’re working on a third chance.I want this to work.”
“I…I want this to work too.”My heart was thumping like asteel drum.
“Then we are on the same page.”
