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“She’s just doing her job,” he deadpans.
“Right, of course.” My smile is coerced, only to mumble beneath my breath a moment later, “Probably not the only job.”
Will takes a seat behind his desk, trying to hide the smirk playing on his lips.
“I can assure you she is only performing the work she is paid to do,” he tells me with an arrogant tone. “But nice to know some things never change with you.”
I ignore the petty comment, reminding myself why I’m here, and do my best to ignore how incredibly handsome he looks behind the desk, dressed in a light blue business shirt and pair of black pants. I’m drawn to the glasses again but force myself to ignore how my body is betraying me.
“I wanted to come here and personally thank you for the other night. I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I should have been more responsible.”
“We all make bad decisions,” he replies flatly.
“Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you.”
“Amelia…” he softens, tapping his hand on the desk as if he is nervous or anxious. “It doesn’t have to be this way between us.”
“Be what way?”
“Strained.”
“Will.” I clear my throat, lowering my head while eyeing the floor. “It wasn’t easy when you left. In fact, it was the worst time of my life. I just want to make it known I didn’t just move on despite what you may think.”
Will stands up from behind the desk, moving closer to me yet keeps an appropriate distance between us. “And you think it was easy for me?”
I glance up into his longing gaze. I’ve seen this look before but under different circumstances. So much has changed, and just because I knew Will Romano back then—doesn’t mean he is the same man now.
“I never said that. I wouldn’t know, Will,” I admit, scratching the back of my neck while I struggle to find the right words. “Look, what your mom said is right. We are family, and chances are we will see each other again. I’m willing to put the past behind us if you are.”
His stare moves toward my hand, and at a slow pace, his footsteps echo against the concrete floor as he closes this distance between us. My chest begins to rise and fall, accompanied by a flutter inside my stomach. I bite my lip, scared of the power he still holds over me.
My gaze follows the movement of his hand as he reaches out for my own and brings the ring closer to him. His touch is like dynamite, igniting all senses at once. I can’t seem to pull away, desperate for his touch, if only for this second. If I just let myself have this moment, allow myself to relive the touch of his hand on my own, then maybe I will satisfy the curiosity, and the feelings will then disappear.
“I have no choice,” he utters with his stare still fixated on the ring. “You’re marrying another man.”
I pull back my hand, unsure why my throat closed in and my stomach hardened when he admitted the truth. “I should go.”
The guilt is like swallowing poison, a slow and painful spread to the entire body. I shouldn’t feel guilty for marrying another man, but here I am—questioning my decisions and for what? There is too much history between us, too much pain to ignore, and create something magical again.
The damage is done.
“Will,” I murmur, averting my gaze toward my feet. “I love Austin, and I won’t do anything to hurt him. I want you to know that.”
“Is that what you really came here to tell me?”
“No, I came here to thank you for the other night.”
“Well, you’ve done that,” he voices coldly. “And you’ve also informed me of your love for another man. Is there anything else?”
I shake my head, keeping my mouth shut.
Will bows his head, turning back around and toward his desk. “You can see yourself out.”
He grabs his phone and dials a number then raises the phone to his ear. Will begins to speak to the person on the other end as if I don’t even exist.
And the truth is— I don’t blame him.
I’ve hurt the one person who once mattered to me the most. There is no number of drunken nights, studying, distracting myself with housework, which can ever erase that.
