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Setting the drink down, Luke grabbed the remote to hit the off button. Whoever was at the door, that person deserved a thank-you for the interruption.
But when he opened his door, Luke changed his mind about the thank-you. Instead, he scowled. Then scowled harder at the way his stupid heart leaped at the sight of her.
“Hi,” Tessa said, her happy smile dimming a bit at the edges.
He didn’t respond, telling himself he was too pissed to say a word to her, but really his throat was stiff and unwilling to let words escape.
“Um. Are you busy?” She craned her neck to look behind him, and Luke was so relieved he’d turned off the TV that he relaxed his guard and let her slip inside. “You’re not saying anything,” she said. Her eyes fell on the glass and the bottle next to it.
“What do you want, Tessa?”
“Um, I wanted to talk. And I brought…” She thrust a little white bag in his direction. “It’s not flowers, but…”
He took the bag automatically but didn’t open it. They stood there staring at each other.
“Actually…” She took the bag back. “This was a stupid idea.”
Worried she was about to leave, he snatched the bag back and wrapped his fist tightly into the paper. “What was a stupid idea?”
“I just… I wanted to talk. I don’t want you to think I don’t take this seriously.”
“Tessa, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“I’m sorry I got so mad!” she said on a rush. “I’m sorry I pushed you. I was just… I was already upset and then you said that about Simone. I didn’t want to listen. But I want to listen now.”
“I appreciate that. I do.” The thrill of seeing her had faded to only a sharp pain instead of a lightning strike of shock, and now he could feel his anger again. Even though she squirmed, he didn’t give her an inch. Maybe he was just done with apologies from exes today.
“I’m really sorry,” she repeated. “I said things I shouldn’t have said. I was scared. And I was a complete wreck, but that’s no excuse.”
Shit, she did look sorry. Her green eyes fairly glowed with regret. Pissed as he was, he felt his resolve softening as if he were butter in a hot pan. “I’m sorry, too. About Simone. I should’ve told you the whole story.”
“What is the whole story?”
Luke looked up at the ceiling. He wanted to tell her it was none of her business, but it was. A little. And what the hell did he have to lose? “I was on the rebound. That’s all. Feeling a little wounded. We’d been working together a month, and we got along so well. We had a few drinks and I was walking her home, and I thought it would be a great idea. It wasn’t. We went to her place, but thank God Simone was sober enough to stop.”
“But you wanted to? You would’ve…”
His jaw tightened. “Look, I’m a man. I was drunk. I mistook friendship for something else. But I swear to God, she’s been like a sister to me since then.” Luke looked up at the ceiling again, resentful of the suspicion in her eyes. “Listen, Tessa…I understand why you were upset that day. I know how important your brothers are to you. But that doesn’t change the fact that you don’t trust me.”
“What?” she croaked, her bright eyes dimming.
“Tessa, come on. You can’t trust me. You can’t invest in a relationship, and—”
“That’s not true! You haven’t even given me a chance to explain. I was afraid. I was trying to hold on to every single thing in my life with a death grip, just like you said.”
“Of course you were. I don’t begrudge you that, but—”
“But I’m working on it. I told Eric everything. More than everything.” Her eyes welled with tears. “And I’m trying to figure out how to trust and—”
“Tessa.” Christ, he couldn’t stand the way her face crumpled when he snapped her name.
“You were right! And I’m sorry, Luke. Please.”
A couple of days ago, he would’ve given anything to have her here. Anything. But on the heels of his conversation with his ex, Luke knew it wasn’t going to be easy. He couldn’t just pull Tessa into his arms and forget everything. “You were right, too. I’ve got my own problems. But that’s the thing, Tessa. Our problems won’t fit together eas
ily.”
“I don’t know what you mean. It’s not that I don’t trust you. Like you said, I can’t trust anyone, but I see that now.”
