“Oh, and Emma,” I say, stopping her mid-aisle. “I haven’t told Knox about the offer yet. Can you please not say anything?”
“Of course,” she smiles, “but I would tell him soon unless you want to be a hypocrite.”
Fuck. She’s right. And with that truth bomb, she marches back toward the milk, and I head toward the cashier.
After paying for my stuff and hopping in the truck, I pull onto the dark highway and pray the radio will quiet my mind. But it doesn’t help. Emma’s words are still on full blast inside my head.
Honestly, the problem isn’t Knox. It’s me. Sure, I am pissed about him keeping things from me, but there is more to it. I am scared. Scared of becoming that same naïve sixteen-year-old girl who was absolutely blindsided by someone she fell in love with.
Even eight years later, I can still remember the pain of being rejected and how that pain has echoed into my mid-twenties. And now I’m just waiting for the other foot to drop because second chances like these are made for those cheesy Hallmark movies that Eve loves—not real life.
My chest tightens with the thought of what I’ll do next. I’m not ready to walk away, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to stay either. All I know is if I don’t figure it out soon, I’ll lose everything.
And this time, it won’t be his fault.
CHAPTER 24
KNOX
Sometimes I miss being an absolute deviant. Especially when I told Emery I’d give her space. Being the nice guy is a lot harder than I expected. How does Henry make it look so damn easy?
It’s been less than twenty-four hours since Emery told me she needed time to think. The first few hours were the hardest. I had to physically distance myself from my phone so I wouldn’t try to text or call her.
I let out a desperate sigh when my phone buzzes on the worktable in the auto shop. I know it’s not her, and yet I wish it were. I shake my head and force myself to walk over to the device. I’m still waiting on an important message.
This morning, I found out that Emma gave Henry the green light to co-sign my loan and we didn’t waste any time heading to the bank. The pure anxiety of waiting on a decision was the only thing distracting me from dropping everything and driving over to the Hollow Hinge.
When I look at my phone, it’s just Henry asking if there’s any updates. I shoot him a quick text saying no and head back to the old Camry, currently sitting on the lift.
Right as I’m about to remove the car’s oil filter, I hear thebell go off, so I poke my head around the corner. My heart nearly stops when I see who it is. I slowly grab a heavy wrench and perch it in my back pocket.
The man doesn’t pause before walking through the side door. At least this time, he looks less angry. The way the veins on his forehead throbbed as he laid into me still haunts me to this day.
“Charlie,” I nod, walking with my head held high. I notice he looks calmer today and his hands are swinging freely at his sides. They’re not balled up like he wants to throw me through a glass window.
“Don’t worry, kid,” he says with a friendly smile. “I’m not here to start a fight.”
I let my shoulders relax. “I wouldn’t blame you if you were,” I shrug. “I still can’t believe you didn’t get in more than one shot all those months ago.”
Charlie lets out a weak laugh. “Believe it or not, that’s the one thing I’m proud of not doing. I was looking for someone to blame that day and unfortunately you fit the bill.”
“Right,” I say, trying not to relive that very embarrassing moment. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you here?”
He takes a step back and sinks his eyes to the ground. “I came here to apologize,” he says as he shoves his hands deeper into his front pockets.
My stomach roils. “Apologize? For what?”
Charlie lets out a deep breath and slowly rocks back on his heels. “I wasn’t completely fair to you that day I came in here looking for a fight. Instead of slowing down and recognizing the real problem, I was looking for anyone but the two people involved to blame for my marriage falling apart.”
“B—but I did have something to do with it,” I murmur, not ready to let myself off the hook.
I considered that moment rock bottom for me. I didn’t have to rely on others being disappointed in me, because Iwas disappointed in myself. Sometimes when I’m really feeling down, I still walk through what happened and try to imagine what my life would have been like if I had just walked away from June that night.
But then I remember the person I am because of my actions. I took every ounce of the blame I felt and turned it into a better future for myself. And that’s something I’ll never regret.
“Listen, Knox,” he sighs. “I’m not going to tell you that what you did with my w—ex-wife wasn’t the breaking point of our marriage. It was. But it also wasn’t the first time something like that happened.”
My eyes widen. “Really?”
