“I’m so serious. Over the last several years, I realized that we weren’t what I thought we were at the time.”
“I think we were pretty good together.”
She titled her head. The puzzled look on her face pretty much ensured I wouldn’t like what was coming next. “I think there’s a bit of revisionist history at play here.”
“How so? I didn’t imagine the connection, Ry. We had a lot of fun together.”
A smile formed on her lips. “Because sex is fun.”
“It was more than sex,” I argued.
When I walked away, even though it was my dumb decision to leave, I felt gutted for years afterward. That wasn’t because we werejustfucking.
“I thought it could be, too,” she murmured. “In hindsight, though, we wouldn’t have worked. Obviously, you weren’t ready.”
“I was a fool.”
“But you were an honest fool. Look, if what we had was so damn special, why did you do it?”
“I was a fool,” I repeated.
“I don’t believe that, Coop. You’re one the smartest people I know. I have to believe that some part of you knew that we weren’t going anywhere good together.”
As much as I hated to admit it, she was probably right. We were both in a new city, hundreds of miles away from home. She was climbing the corporate ladder and I was building something lasting from the bottom up.
“Part of the connection was the convenience,” she added. “The familiarity.”
One thing that drew me to adult Ryleigh was that she knew me. She’d been there when I was a kid, she’d watched me blow my way through my teenage years, and she’d cried when I moved away. We were like family—save for the intense physical attraction we had to each other.
I dropped my head. Seconds later, I felt her hand on top of mine. “Cooper, when you didn’t show up, I was beside myself with anger. But I’ve come to realize it was more about thewayyou did it, than the fact that you did.”
“I’m sorry, Ry,” I murmured, flipping my hand over and squeezing hers.
“I forgive you.”
Closing my eyes, I let the words wash through me. It felt like a weight had lifted. I’d beat myself up for so long about how I’d handled things between us. “At the time, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I just knew I never wanted to hurt you.”
“We never made any promises. Besides, like I told you, everything is as it should be.”
“I do miss you,” I confessed. “You are important to me. I want to know about you, what you’re doing, what you’re planning. I want to know your son.”
She smirked. “I have no problem with that. As long as you don’t try to touch my booty. Martin will kill your ass.”
I barked out a laugh, throwing my hands up. “No touching.”
“Promise?”
Nodding, I said, “Promise.”
Mama Lil shuffled out of the back with two huge platters of food. “Hey, y’all. I figured I’d do the honors and bring you this delicious cuisine.” After she set the plates on the table, she took Ryleigh’s now sleeping baby from her arms and disappeared again.
For the next hour, we ate and talked about a little bit of everything from our jobs to the Detroit Pistons’ last basketball game.
“Quick question?” She leaned in. “You’ve successfully diverted this conversation from your future in this town. So, in the spirit of rebuilding friendship, tell me if you’ve made the decision to move back here.”
“You caught that, huh?”
She nodded. “I’ve known you a long time. Ava told me all about Granddad’s wish for you.”
