Page 254 of A Matter of Time

“Let’s maybe not rehash the past,” I warned him.

“You started it.”

And I had, he was right. “Okay,” I said coolly. “I’m gonna let you go and⁠—”

“Wait. I’m sorry.”

“About?” My voice was sharper than I meant it to be.

“All of it. Everything. Me having to be right about any part of us ever being apart will not get me what I want.”

Which instantly gutted my anger. “Oh?”

“Yes. But you have to know—I’m not the same anymore. I know who I am, and I know who I want in my life.”

“Three years,” I repeated.

“I heard you the first hundred and fifty times.”

I scoffed. “That was funny.”

“Listen, it’s not easy to say sorry to Jory Harcourt.”

“Others would disagree.”

“Yeah, but they don’t have our history.”

I grunted.

“Yes?”

“I’ll give you that.”

“And for the record, you’re not perfect.”

“I thought you were supposed to be sweet-talking me?”

“No. That won’t work. Only the truth. And the truth is, you’re difficult.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes. And I’m the only one that’ll put up with your shit, day after day, week after week, because I love you.”

I could barely breathe.

“And you know you’re a pain in the ass.”

“I—”

“Jory, c’mon. You throw temper tantrums, you second-guess everything, you have no patience at all, you want things to be instantly perfect without any work, you never listen, you jump to conclusions, you create more drama than ten people put together, you drink too much, you’re oblivious to shit that goes on around you, and if things go wrong, your first instinct is to run away as fast as you can.” He sighed deeply. “You’re a fuckin’ mess, and you can’t deny it.”

“You’ve been gone a long time, Sam. I’m not like that anymore.”

“The hell you’re not.”

“I’m not, but if you think I’m such a piece of shit, then⁠—”

“I never said that. I said you were a pain in the ass, and you are. You know you are.” He let out another long, drawn-out breath. “But so am I. That’s why we’re made for each other.”