“Wow.” I sat back. “I had no idea. How did you find out?”
“I was supposed to fly to Phoenix for a sponsorship meeting, but the weather was bad, so they rescheduled. Imagine my surprise when I showed up at her apartment.”
No wonder he kept things locked down. All the chatter and speculation suddenly made sense. And hearing him talk about that type of betrayal gave me a whole new sense of understanding that I had never had before.
“I’m sorry.”
“It happens.” He shrugged. “Honestly, I should have been more upset than I was.”
“You still didn’t deserve that.”
“No one does.”
Wasn’t that the truth?
He leaned back slightly. “What about you?”
I ran my fingers through my damp hair. “I’ve dated, but nothing as dramatic as your relationship.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth. “Anyone serious, other than your fake boyfriend, Tommy?”
I kicked him playfully in the side. “You are never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Nope. Now tell me about all the losers you’ve dated.”
“Wow, okay, then.” I laughed. “For the record, they weren’t all bad, just weren’t right for me.”
“Anyone serious over the years?”
“Yes, and he wasn’t terrible,” I added quickly because I felt that was important to say. “We just weren’t right for each other.”
“So, I don’t need to hunt him down and beat the crap out of him for breaking your heart?”
“No, and if you were to ask him, I was the one who broke his heart.”
A small smile broke out across his face. “What did you do, my little heartbreaker?”
“I didn’t do anything.” I glanced down at my hands. “He didn’t care for my job, or the long hours, and he really hated the travel and time apart. Sound familiar?”
He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “He was an idiot.”
I laughed. “You don’t even know him.”
Aaron wasn’t horrible, but we clearly weren’t meant for each other. As strange as it sounded, I was glad he found happiness, because loving someone didn’t always mean they were right for you.
“I don’t need to know him.” He held my gaze. “Any man who is stupid enough to let you walk away deserves to regret it.”
“Well, technically, he walked when he asked me to choose between him and my job, and I didn’t choose him.”
“Exactly. He was never man enough to deserve you in the first place.”
He leaned in closer. Close enough to where I could feel the heat coming off him. His hands went to my face, our gazes locked.
“I’d also like to add, if you’re looking for someone who is up to the challenge, I know a guy.”
I smiled despite myself. “Oh, really. Anyone I know?”
His hand slid from my cheek to the back of my neck. “You’re looking at him.”
