Page 192 of The Heart You Kept

“It was fun while it lasted, but the reality is that this probably will be our last night together, and I hope you have a nice life with your white-hot money and your lukewarm love.”

I blink, surprised.

White-hot money and your lukewarm love…. She hit the nail on the head.

If she stabbed me through the heart it would hurt less.

She’s ending it.

I drop my head, rattled.

“I believe that at some point in your life you have to take a big swing and truly go all in, or else what’s the point?” She shrugs.

“It’s not that simple, we come from different worlds.” I drag my hand through my hair, completely flustered. “I’ve told you already, I’m not good at relationships and as soon as we put pressure on it everything is going south.”

“Why do you think that you are not good at relationships?”

“I don’t think it, I know it. I’m not….” I pause. “Wired the same as most people.”

She reaches over the table and takes my hand in hers as her eyes search mine. “My love will not heal you, Edward, but I can hold your hand while you heal yourself.”

Emotion unexpectedly fills me and her silhouette blurs.

What the fuck is going on with me lately?

“Hey….” She gets up and comes around and sits across my lap, her lips dust mine. “We can work it out together.”

“I’m not capable of giving you what you want, Alora,” I murmur as my arm tightens around her. “You need to move on.”

“No.” She kisses me again. “I’m not leaving you where you are.”

“You need to because…” I shake my head, “…I can’t….”

“Yes. You can.”

I lean my forehead against her shoulder, words escape me. There is nothing I can say that will make either of us feel any better.

“If you can’t do it for you…then do it for me.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

ALORA

“Alora.” He pushes me off his lap and stands in a rush. “I have to go….”

Shit…too much, too soon.

“No. You didn’t eat your dinner yet,” I stammer in a panic. “If this is our last night together, let’s just enjoy it.”

He twists his lips as he looks around.

“Enough of the deep talk.” I hold my hands up. “I promise.”

He begrudgingly sits back down.

Stop making demands, you idiot.

“All you have to think about is how many orgasms I’ll have tonight.”