The grin falls. “What?”
“You should,” I say as I place the glass of wine down. “You have a beautiful smile.”
He nods slowly. “Never heard that one before.”
I furrow my brow. “Not from anyone?”
“Nope.”
“Not even an Omega you’ve dated before?”
He pauses, and I know I’ve stepped in it.
“Walker, I’m sorry,” I say quickly, “I should’ve?—”
He clears his throat and places his fork down. “Rachel said that once, during our first date, but I don’t want to spend time speaking on another Omega that doesn’t matter here.”
It feels wrong to come back with something, so I don’t. He’s got a point, though. One of the unspoken rules of the South is that you don’t talk about an ex with someone you’re on a date with. I’m glad that I don’t say anything, because the silence encourages Walker to keep talking.
I like it when he talks.
“But if we’re going to touch on the subject, we might as well get it out of the way: I’ve only ever dated one Omega before,” hesays as he lifts his stoic brown gaze to mine, “and she left. We were a whirlwind romance based on scents and nothing more, and in the end, she chose a life of excitement in the city over a quiet life here with me.”
My heart shatters. “Walker, I’m so sorry.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not. I wouldn’t be here with you if things had worked out, and I think that would be the greatest cardinal sin to ever be committed.”
I take another bite of the salmon. “I want to ask questions, but I don’t know if I should.”
He takes a sip of his wine. “Ask me anything you’d like, I have nothing to hide.”
My fork scrapes against my plate a bit. “How long were the two of you together?”
“Only about a month.”
“Why was she in Honeysuckle Grove in the first place?”
“She had a little gossip column that did well, and she was trying to expand it. At first, she wanted to write and edit her own small-town magazine alongside the local newspaper that Honeysuckle Grove does. But as much as this place likes to gossip, it’s not like they wanted that splattered all over the front page of somewhere. It didn’t take off, so she went back to Grand Fleming.”
My goodness, Grand Fleming is almost three hours from here. He must’ve been heartbroken.
The thought makes me angry. Three hours away? If an Alpha I was seeing chose to be three hours away instead of with me, I’d wonder what in the world was so wrong with me. I reach out and offer my hand to Walker.
The need to comfort him is strong. I mean, who would choose a life in a city over a life with?—
Hollow Mill Junction.
His hand slides against mine as those three little words wash through my mind. Hollow Mill Junction. Where I’ve been researching on possibly opening up my bakery. He’s sitting here with me on a date knowing damned good and well there’s a chance I may do the exact same thing.
Just like I’m afraid they’ll do to me what my former pack did.
“I’m so sorry, Walker,” I say softly.
He just shakes his head. “That was years ago. I was still in my twenties. I’ve moved on, and I hope wherever she is, she’s well.”
My eyes clock the salt in his hair right at his temples. Age has never been a thing I’ve fussed over, but Walker has to be in his forties. That means…
He hasn’t been on a date in more than ten years?
