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Joey looked pale. He dipped his head in agreement. “Maybe so. Have a nice day.”

The old guy couldn’t let it end there. He laughed caustically. “You’re pathetic.”

“Hey!” I said sharply. “Don’t talk to him like that.”

Joey’s gaze lit on me, his eyes widening. He clearly hadn’t been able to see me through the fog of hate.

The customer whirled. “Do you know what he did?” He jabbed an accusatory finger in Joey’s direction.

“Yeah, I do. He made a mistake. It happens.”

The old man snorted. “A mistake? Please. He probably wanted to hurt somebody. He was drunk and high and⁠—”

“He was none of those things,” I cut in. “He was driving in the rain. It was an accident.”

He scoffed. “It was a crime.”

I caught hold of his arm as he started past me, a plastic bag dangling from two fingers. “He’s twice the man you’ll ever be.”

“Kit,” Joey said, voice tight. “Don’t.”

I looked over. “Nobody should treat you that way, Joey. It’s not right.”

“It’s nothing you don’t believe, deep down. Just let it go.”

I dropped my hand, Joey’s words hitting me harder than any fist could. My breath left me.

The old man swore at me and left the store. I couldn’t be bothered with him. I was too busy absorbing just how badly I’d fucked up with Joey.

I stepped forward, right up to the counter. Joey wouldn’t make eye contact with me.

“I don’t believe that,” I said urgently. “Joey, I know I screwed up with you. I should have told you I forgave you. Should have told you when my feelings changed. I’m sorry for that. It took me a while to wrap my head around it.”

He flicked a glance toward me. “Because it could never work.” He shrugged. “I don’t blame you. It is what it is.”

“No, it’s not,” I said emphatically. “I want to be with you.”

He looked at me, face tight. “Don’t say that, Kit. Not when it can’t be true. Nobody would ever understand. You heard that guy. That’s what people think of me!”

“I don’t care what small-minded assholes like him have to say.” I flung my hand in the direction of the door. “If I can face down my dad and tell him you’re my boyfriend, then I can handle schmucks like him.”

“You told your dad I was your boyfriend?”

He sounded more distressed than before.

“Yeah, I explained everything. He’s not happy, but it’s going to be okay.”

“No!” he exclaimed. “No, it’s not okay, Kit. I told you I didn’t want to come between you!”

“You won’t,” I said. “Dad is stubborn, but he loves us. He’ll accept it. He just needs some time. Like I did. I was too stubborn to see it for too long, Joey, but you’re important to me. Too important to give up.”

“That’s not up to you.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m saying this all wrong. Joey, I just, I love you. You know that? I love you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

His words might as well have been physical blows. I fell back a step. Sucked in a sharp breath at the pain behind my ribs. He was right, wasn’t he? I’d kept Joey carefully tucked into a little compartment labeled “hookup only.”