“I never had a life with him.” She shakes her head. “I don’t even remember much from the night it happened. When I found out I was pregnant, he thought we would be one big, happy family. When I told him that would never happen, he wanted nothing to do with Trace.”
I wipe a tear that trails down her cheek.
“I was drunk.” Her expression is riddled with guilt. “I haven’t had a drop since. Not until last night.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry I did this to us.” I caress her cheek with gentle hands. She’s the most precious thing I’ve had the privilege to touch. “My contract is up. Seven fucking years I played his game. I’m done. The NDA is trash now. But I came out okay. I’m walking away with three world championships. My mom is set for life with the best home health care money can buy. But even with all of that…the victory isn’t as sweet. It’s not the victory we planned out,” I tell her. “It’s not the same without you.”
She closes those gorgeous blue eyes.
“I know I messed up. I own that. I was a kid with too many fears and I let that fear tarnish what we had.” My confession has her eyes popping open. “It’s a lot to process. I don’t expect you to forgive me right now. I don’t even expect you to forgive me this week or hell, ever.” I cradle her face. “But I’d like a chance to fix what I broke.”
“What if it can’t be fixed?” she asks. “What if we can never get back to us?”
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Five more weeks. Will you give me that? If at the end of those five weeks you decide we can’t fix it and if it’s really over…I’ll let you go.”
Even saying the words has my mouth twisting into a scowl. I’d never really let her go. But if she needs to hear it, I’ll tell the lie.
“Five weeks. For what exactly?” she asks with a weak sniffle.
I drop a kiss to her forehead, then walk backward a few steps. “To prove what we both know, Firefly. It’s always been you and me.”
Chapter twenty-five
Laiken
We walk quietly back to the cabin, neither of us feeling the urge to speak. A lot has already been said. A lot that I still need to wrap my brain around. Which will have to wait because I need to get Trace and relieve Ari.
My eyes are trained on the gravel when I feel Parker’s warm palm on the small of my back.
“You need a ride to your car?” he asks.
I guess in the chaos of last night, it got left at the Mayson Jar. I glance up, my heart skipping a beat at the look in his eyes.
“Yeah.” I tug the blanket tighter. “I can get Ivy to—”
“I’ll take you,” he interjects.
When I don’t answer immediately, he grins. “Or I can drop you off at Micky’s. You know, so you can finish what y’all started.”
I roll my eyes. “That was the worst. He’s a nice guy, but you couldn’t pay me enough to sit through another discussion about plumbing priorities.”
Parker shakes his head. “Can’t say I’m not happy it was the worst.” He scrubs a hand over his hair with a sheepish look. “It ate me up to watch you with him all night.”
“Don’t like the taste of your own medicine?” I quip but flinch the second the words pass my lips.
A shadow passes over his eyes. “You have no idea how sorry I am. How much I wish I could take back.”
I reach out to squeeze his forearm. “I know.”
Because I do. It’s written all over his handsome face.
The noise of the screen door has us both turning. Maddox steps out onto the porch with his eyes narrowed.
“Hey, Mads.” I remove my hand, then head his way with Parker on my heels.
“Morning.” His eyes bounce between us, but I ignore it.
“Parker is giving me a ride to pick up my car,” I say before sliding in to give him a side hug.
