AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Reese puffed out an exasperated breath. ‘Now, can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?’
‘We need to talk,’ Carter said, the tone low as he bypassed Reese’s request. ‘I didn’t plan to do it in public but I will if I have to.’
She tightened her arms, struggling to protect herself from the hard glare. ‘No, we don’t need to talk.’
She knew what he had to say and she didn’t want to hear it. He’d rejected her twice already, once more might break her.
‘Fine, you don’t want to talk, you can listen.’ The frustration in his voice snapped like the lash of a whip.
‘Now wait a minute...’ Dylan charged back into the fray.
‘Who did you say this guy was, because he’s starting to make me pretty damn mad too...’ Tuck added, standing behind his friend.
‘It’s okay.’ Gina lifted shaking palms to get her knights in shining Armani to back off.
For God’s sake, pull yourself together and deal with this, before Cassie’s special day degenerates into a complete fiasco.
‘I can handle this,’ she added, thinking no such thing as the tremor in her body refused to subside.
She could smell him, that unique combination of man and soap and tangy cologne—the memory making the emotion rush through already shaky limbs. She locked her knees in a desperate attempt to keep the trembling under control. ‘What is it you wanted to say? I’m listening.’
To her astonishment the glitter of temper disappeared, to leave something she couldn’t decipher. He stepped forward and took her arm again but this time his touch was gentle, tentative, the pad of his thumb pressing into the inside of her elbow.
‘Let’s start with I’m sorry.’
‘Sorry? What for?’ she asked, staggered.
He dropped his chin to his chest and let out a heavy sigh. ‘Damn, this is tough.’ He swung his head round, taking in her friends, who were watching with varying degrees of curiosity and astonishment on their faces—and, in Marnie’s case, outright shock. ‘Especially with an audience,’ he added, sucking in a breath as if preparing to face a firing squad.
His hand dropped from her arm. ‘Sorry for everything, I guess. Sorry for getting you pregnant that night.’
‘What?’ Marnie’s shocked yelp had him glancing over his shoulder, but he turned his attention back to Gina without acknowledging his sister.
‘Sorry for walking away, and letting you think I blamed you for what we did together. Sorry for leaving you to deal with losing our baby alone.’ His eyebrow lifted. ‘Although, I don’t consider myself entirely to blame for that one.’
‘How could I tell you when—’ she jumped in, but he pressed a fingertip to her lips, silencing her protest.
‘Hey, don’t. I ge
t it. How could you tell me when I was too busy marrying the wrong woman?’
She looked away, not sure she could hear him say this now, when it was too late to make a difference. She chewed her lip, the metallic taste of blood doing nothing to stop the single tear slipping over her lid. He brushed it away with his thumb, then hooked a finger under her chin.
‘You’re such a faker, aren’t you, sugar? You had me fooled there for a while, with your tough cookie act, but I figured it out.’
She raised her chin, blinking rapidly to stop any more stupid tears materialising. ‘Figured out what exactly?’
* * *
Damn, she looked so forlorn and so determined not to show a single sign of weakness. How could he ever have doubted the existence of that brave, generous, honest heart behind the tough girl facade?
He’d screwed up. Not just ten years ago by not recognising how perfect she’d always been for him. But also a week ago, when he’d tried to bully her into admitting her feelings, without having the guts to admit his own. He just hoped to hell he wasn’t too late to stop those screw-ups from destroying whatever chance they might have at a future.
But he had to tread gently now. She’d had her confidence battered over the years—not just by her old man, but by him too. He’d left her high and dry when she’d needed him the most, because he’d been too busy dealing with his own issues to appreciate what was right under his nose. The news of her miscarriage had been a shock—but once he’d got past the knee-jerk feeling of betrayal, the much bigger shock was how much it had hurt to know she had carried his child and he’d had no idea.
‘You want to know my biggest regret, sugar?’
‘Not particularly, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me anyway.’ She sniffed, still channelling the tough cookie act, even though the sheen of moisture in those large green eyes meant it was a total wash.
