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Grant glances down at my keys that I’m holding tightly in my hand. “You leavin’ already?”
“Yep,” I reply coldly.
The awkward tension grows.
“Okay, well it was so nice meeting you, Kenzie.” Grant shoots her a sly grin, and I want to punch in his face for even looking at her.
“Hope we can see you two again soon,” Bella says, digging the knife in one last time. The two of them grab Leo and walk away. Kenzie glances at her phone, then walks past the truck.
“Kenzie!” I say, chasing after her again.
“I’m gonna take an Uber back to the hotel. I don’t want you to leave because of me,” she tells me, and I hear the trembling in her voice.
“No, please let me drive you.”
She stops walking. “Stay with your family, Grayson. They’ve obviously missed you a lot, and I don’t wanna be the reason you cut your time short with them. I also don’t want it to be weird, so I’ll just go.”
I shake my head. “Absolutely not. If you’re leaving, so am I. And trust me, it’s gonna be weird no matter what now that Bella has shown her ugly face.”
Her expression softens. “This is too awkward. I shouldn’t have come.”
“None of this is your fault,” I confirm. “Let’s get the fuck outta here, and we can talk because I have a shit ton of questions.”
“You and me both,” she mumbles, climbing into the truck when I unlock it.
For the next fifteen minutes, we ride in silence back to the hotel. I texted my mom to apologize for cutting out so abruptly, but I promised to make it up to her. She understood, considering Bella and Grant showed up unexpectedly.
When we finally arrive at the hotel, she gets out of the truck and walks inside without waiting for me. I catch up to her just as she steps on the elevator. “Where’re ya goin’ in such a hurry?”
She sighs. “I just wanna go home, Grayson. I’m gonna pack my bag and Uber back to Eldorado. You stay here. Meet up with your mom and spend time with her.”
“Absolutely not. We need to talk about this, Kenzie. It’s something we should’ve done a long-ass time ago, and the time is now.”
Chapter Fifteen
MCKENZIE
I glare at him, pinning him in place when all I want to do is run away from all of this.
Never did I imagine I’d see his ex-fiancée today or that she’d even recognize me after all these years. It brought up those memories I’ve been fighting to forget.
As soon as we’re on our floor, I rush to our room and scan my key card.
“Kenzie,” Grayson says as I start grabbing my shit and packing.
“You aren’t leavin’ without me.”
I zip up my suitcase as he comes closer. I try to move past him to double-check the bathroom, but instead, he reaches out and gently grabs me. I try to wiggle free, but it’s no use. His grip on me is too strong.
“Quit being a damn caveman and let me go,” I demand just as I sit on the edge of the bed.
“Now talk,” he orders, crossing his arms over his chest. “Start from the beginning.”
Too bad for Grayson, I’m not intimidated by him. I defiantly shake my head, and he moves forward until my back rests against the soft mattress. My breath hitches as he hovers above me and the memories of our night together resurface. That’s when I lift my knee, going straight for his junk, but he blocks me. Guess he’s gotten so used to my antics, he can predict my moves.
“Nice try, sweetheart. I know your tricks,” he muses with a cocked brow.
“Grayson!” I seethe. “You’re really not going to let me go until we talk?”
“That’s right. And I can happily stay just like this all night long. You owe me the truth of our past, Kenzie. Knowing the girl from that night was you is fucking with me, and I don’t like that.”
His warm breath brushes against my cheek, keeping me caged in his arms.
“Fine. You really wanna hear how after we slept together, I assumed you were a cheater who used me, and if that wasn’t bad enough, when you showed up at the ranch four months later and acted like you didn’t know me, I was angry and hurt? I liked you and thought that night we shared something special, but by the next morning, my heart was shattered.”
The smug grin from his face fades as he stands and stares at me. I’ve never said those words out loud before and hadn’t told anyone. All this time, I kept it buried deep inside—a dirty little secret that’s haunted me for so long. I felt so ashamed and used every opportunity to make Grayson’s life hell over it.
I sit up and smooth down my hair that’s a wild mess as I wait for Grayson to say something, anything.
