Page 170 of I Choose You

“Please?” he added.

Wow.

Kaden looked at me, his brows even higher as he asked me without words if I was okay with that.

I nodded. “Okay.”

Kaden kissed me as he let me go, and I drew a deep breath as his twin replaced him.

He moved smoothly, more used to dancing perhaps than Kaden was. I looked at him, too curious to break the silence. I didn’t know what was on his mind, and mine raced anyway.

They were identical, but not. Knowing every inch of Kaden’s body, I could notice the differences. Kody’s arms weren’t as defined, and Kaden’s hair was longer. Slight lines creased around Kaden’s eyes, laugh lines, whereas Kody’s face seemed tanner. Their hair wasn’t the same cut either.

Outwardly, they probably couldn’t pass as each other so easily now. They wouldn’t be able to pull off as much of a switcheroo as adults. They’d both been hardened and changed in life since their teenage-heartthrob cuteness, and as adults, their uniqueness stood out even more.

Mostly, though, I felt not an iota of the love that filled my heart to the brim when I was with Kaden. I wasn’t tugged into a fierce desire. I didn’t sigh in the security of love.

He wasn’t Kaden. I knew that, but I also could tell this man was no longer my enemy.

As we danced, he looked around and hesitated. I could tell by the tension of his arms and hands. But at last, he broke.

“I’m sorry.”

I didn’t reply.

“I’m sorry, Brooke.” He paired the repeat with a hard whoosh of air, like he was expelling the last vestiges of that burden.

“It feels good to say that, huh?” I asked.

He shrugged, which turned into nodding. “Yeah. But I am. I’m sorry for how I behaved in high school.”

“It’s—” I caught myself from saying it was okay. It wasn’t. I’d struggle with my body image beyond this day, but I knew that with Kaden at my side, I could overcome it. The way he’d treated me wasn’t okay, but I could forgive and move on. I already had, secure in Kaden’s love. “I’ve moved on. It was years ago.”

“And I’m sorry for how I continued to behave now.”

“At the cake tasting?”

He nodded. “I apologize for all of it. And in the future, because I don’t have much of a censor and I guarantee I’ll make more mistakes and say something stupid again.”

He shrugged, honest about it.

“We all make mistakes.” I arched a brow. “Like thinking up dumb ideas about revenge.”

He chuckled. “You know, I can see why you did. After the way I treated you and made you think Kaden had done it all. I get it now.”

“I’m just glad you overhearing me was the impetus to make me come clean about it all. So, I’m sorry too, for even thinking about wanting to do something like that.”

“I forgive you,” he said sincerely. “I know my brother definitely has.”

I smiled. “I think I’ve got room in my heart to forgive you too.”

His shoulders lowered with my words. It felt good to let him have that relief.

“And I mean it. Really, I do.” He cleared his throat and lifted his chin. “I want to change.” His gaze drifted toward the side of the ballroom near the head tables. It wasn’t the first time he’d looked that way. I thought he kept directing his gaze there because that was where his dad and brother were. But when I glanced, I saw the guys weren’t alone. Mercedes sat there too.

“I want to change,” he admitted, his stare locked on her.

I laughed, knowing all too well what that smoky look meant. Kaden smoldered at me just like that, with wicked intent in his gaze. Mischief. And desire.