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“That’s a good point. I don’t care. If you’re worried about someone hearing you, come to my room. I don’t give a fuck who hears me.” I fingered the strap of her dress. We both needed to change before we did anything. Why not spend that time together?

“You really don’t have any doubts, do you?”

I should, shouldn’t I? I spent all this time worrying about the potential consequences, unwilling to risk our friendship, but now that I knew how good we were together, how perfectly we fit, all my doubts were gone. “Let me ask you this. Do you think I’ll hurt you?”

She tried to look away but I dipped my head to keep her attention right on me. She sighed. “No. Not intentionally anyway.”

I wanted to believe her. Really, I did. But the way her voice wavered told me she didn’t entirely believe her own words. “I might not have ever been in a romantic relationship with anyone before, but I’ve been in a long-term relationship with you for over a decade. I’ve made mistakes but I’ve also learned from them. You’re still here giving me a chance, doesn’t that mean something?”

“Yes,” she whispered. Her hands came up to rest against my chest. “Our past does affect me. I know you’ve learned a lot about yourself and I believe you when you say you’ll never cut me out like you did again.”

I swallowed hard. “But it still scares you.” Because I wasn’t the first person to walk away from her.

The differences between her mother and me were enormous, but when you have a wound that deep it doesn’t take much to put you on defense.

Even at breakfast, Willa looked so much like she was afraid someone was going to walk in and take it all away from her.

And then there was that bizarre exchange with Moms. “Why did my mother apologize to you?” The couple of times I brought my friends down for a boat day we avoided my family. The last time I remembered Willa and my mom together was before I quit baseball.

So when had things gone wrong?

I had a sinking feeling I missed a lot more than I realized.

When Willa didn’t reply I picked her up. It was an easy thing to do. Something I’d done ever since we met. She was tiny. For a long time it was something fun. Now…it was primal. Willa was mine. Mine to hold, to carry, to love.

I took her straight to the bathroom.

“What are you doing?”

I set her down and reached into the shower. “We need to change. We’re starting in the shower. While I clean you up, you’re going to tell me exactly what I want to know.”

“That’s not how this works!” She even stamped her foot.

Cute.

But pointless. There were things I let slide for far too long. That stopped now. “This is exactly how this works now, Tink. We need to be open and honest with each other. You might not like it, or my methods, but I’m not budging. Whether we fuck twice a day or never again, I refuse to let any more secrets grow up between us. Get in.”

She reached for her straps.

I stopped her. “I said in. I’ll be doing the undressing.”

Her eyes flared. “You have a bossy side, Everett Anson, and I’m not entirely sure what I think of it.”

“We could find out real quick,” I let my fingers play with her skirt and thigh, “but I don’t think we’re in a good place for that right now.” I kicked off my shoes and stepped in after her, the water instantly soaking my shirt and shorts.

“This is so unnecessary,” she grumbled.

“Maybe. But I like it.” I flicked her strap down her arm and traced her incredibly soft skin. “Why was my mom apologizing?”

I waited, teasing her skin, until she huffed. “I don’t think Megan wants you to know this.”

“I don’t care what she wants. I care about you. And you are clearly upset about this. What did my mother need to apologize for?” I kept touching her. Soft caresses I hoped she found soothing.

She stood there staring at my chest while the warm water rushed over us. Her mouth opened and closed twice before she rolled her lips between her teeth and looked up into my eyes. “About a year after you moved home I came here to talk to you. Megan sent me packing.”

I almost fell over. Instead I pressed my hand to the shower wall behind her, steadying myself. “You came to Calusa Key?”

“I did. I hated the silence and I thought maybe if we were face to face you’d talk to me.”