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“Shouldn’t you be home by now?” I ask him, having to clear my throat when the words come out hoarse.
Craig turns at the sound of my voice, standing. “Shouldn’t you be off work by now?”
“I was getting some things done.”
“And I was waiting for you.”
“That solves that mystery, then.” I look past him and see a couple of ladies walking down the sidewalk. Their gazes are fixed on us, too interested and intrigued by us for my own liking. “If you want to talk, you’d better come inside. Especially if you want it to be just us that’s hearing it this time.”
Craig follows my gaze, then stands up and follows me silently into the office. “They weren’t trying to listen in on us,” he says, closing the door behind him.
“Well, everyone seems to know what’s going on around here whether it involves them or not, so I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“It’s a small town,” he argues, like that makes it all better. “What people don’t actually know, they make up.”
“Is that what you did?” I stand at my desk, pushing my hands flat down onto it. “Didn’t know the whole story, so you made up the rest?”
I’m shocked to see Craig’s cheeks redden, his throat moving visibly. He pulls his hat down off his head, clutching it tightly. “Megan, I made a mistake.”
“Before or after you assumed I used you for sex?” The question comes out of my mouth before I have time to stop it, followed by muttering, “Wonder what else has been assumed in this town about me and you.”
“Megan, if you don’t like this town, then why are you staying?” Craig sounds exasperated, but I snap my gaze up to his, wary.
“Who told you I was staying?”
“Nancy came to see me.”
I groan, pressing my hands into my eyes. “Of course she did. Son of a bitch, why—”
“You didn’t answer my question,” he says through gritted teeth. “Megan, why are you staying here? Why are you—”
“Because of you!” I exclaim, slamming my hands down hard on the desk. “Because, despite what you think, being with you meant more than some one-night stand. Because I like how I feel when I’m with you. Because I thought Aunt Nancy was right, that you’re a good man—”
My frustrated speech is cut short by Craig’s mouth crashing against mine. I gasp, but it’s stifled by the urgency with which his tongue enwraps mine, spelling out every ounce of apology and regret and pain neither of us can put into words. He tosses his hat onto my desk and wraps me in his arms, pulling me against him. I moan, not realizing how much I’d been craving his touch until the moment I felt it again.
“Craig,” I said, breathless, struggling to keep myself from kissing him again because it’s easier than talking this through.
“Megan,” he breathes, pressing his forehead against mine. “I am a good man. I just needed you to remind me of it.”
“I’m not sure—”
“I’m sorry,” he says, bringing his hand up to wipe my hair away from my eyes. “I’m so goddamn sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry at you. I shouldn’t have accused you of lying to me.” He pauses, his eyes fixating on mine. “I shoul
dn’t have compared you to Ella. That wasn’t fair.”
A veil of confusion is cast over my thoughts. “What’s Ella got to do with this?”
His jaw ticks, but he explains. “I only told you part of the story, Meg,” he admits. “She did die in a car accident; that was true. But she’d broken up with me months before that, without any warning. It wasn’t until the hospital called me and I went there that I found out about—”
“Ellis,” I whisper. “She didn’t tell you about him.”
Craig shakes his head. “But that’s no reason for me to take my trust issues out on you, either. I mean it, Megan, I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too.” And I am. For fighting with him. For avoiding him for the past four days. For the unfair thing Ella did to him. For the closure he never got because he lost her so tragically. “We’ve all got things we’ve got to work through,” I remind him, running my finger along the curve of his jaw. “There’s no shame in that, but we have to communicate through it.”
“You’re so fucking smart.” He leans down and kisses me again. “That’s why I need you so much.”
A childlike giggle escapes my mouth. “That’s why, huh? No other reasons you can think of?”
