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“I told him when we ate there once. He must’ve remembered,” I said, surprised.
Farrah lowered her voice. “He’swayhotter in person. Good lord, that man is tall and muscular. No wonder you’ve been keeping him a secret from us this whole time.”
“I’mthe secret. Not him,” I grumbled. “Did he leave already?”
“No, he’s still here. He wants to talk to you,” April said.
“About what?”
“We didn’t ask for specifics, but I’m pretty sure he’s here to try to win you back,” she said.
“Yeah, he looks all determined and nervous and shit,” Farrah giggled. “It’s pretty cute.”
“Not gonna lie. It is super cute,” April said.
“I tried to scare him off at first, but he came bearing gifts, and you know I’m a sucker for that,” Farrah said.
“So what should we tell him, Izzy?” April asked.
I sat up and wiped at my puffy eyes. I didn’t want Rust to see me like this. “I should shower first. I look like crap, and I don’t want him to know I’ve been in bed this late.”
“Oops,” Farrah said. “I already told him you were still asleep, so, um, sorry?”
“Plus, you should put the man out of his misery,” April said. “He’s a bundle of nerves right now.”
I sighed. “Alright. Fine. Send him in.”
The girls left. I sat up in bed and waited with a racing heart. I took a few deep breaths and found my center, promising myself to stay strong, no matter what.
A moment later, there was a gentle rapping at my door.
“Come in,” I said.
Rust walked in. I’d fortified my heart, but the second our sorrowful eyes met, my defenses broke down. A surge of emotion filled my heart and tears filled my eyes.
“Hi, Isabelle,” he said, his voice raw.
“Hi.”
“Sorry to show up out of the blue. I’ve been trying to call you, but …”
“But I blocked you,” I said, finishing what he left unsaid.
He nodded. With a sigh, he sat at the edge of my bed and touched his palm to my cheek. I was trying so hard to keep it together, but the presence of his big, warm hand on my face made me break down.
“Baby, I’m so sorry,” he said, gently wiping the tears from my cheek. He leaned forward and wrapped his strong arms around me and squeezed me tight. It felt so good to be in his arms again; his warmth and scent triggered a rush of fond and happy feelings. But that was a dangerous thing, because despite my lingering feelings for him, we hadrealproblems that needed to be worked out. Feelings just weren’t enough.
“I was a total dick to you,” he said, blowing out a guilty exhale. “I’m sorry for that. But it came as such a shock when I found out you’d sent me the video. I felt like everything was a lie, like I’d been played from start to finish.”
“I’m sorry I never told you,” I said, my voice wavering. “I should’ve told you.”
He blew out a deep breath. “It’s okay. I understand why you didn’t.”
“It’snotokay, though. That’s a horrible thing to keep from somebody. If I never told you, it would’ve been in the back of my mind forever, eating away at me. There’d always be this worry that you’d find out,” I said, blotting my eyes. “But I was so scared of telling you, because if you knewIwas the reason you got divorced, you’d never forgive me.”
He shook his head. “You weren’t the reason for the divorce, Isabelle. And neither was Laura.Iwas. That’s why she had an affair. Because I was too selfish to care for her needs. All I cared about was hockey.”
“Yeah?” I asked, needing to be reassured.
