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And I would never have anything more than friendship with her. It was my own fault for never speaking up, and I’ll never know if she felt the same. Sometimes, I thought maybe she did, but when she never said anything either, I pushed it to the back of my mind.
So life went on like that until the night Gabe died.
I felt so damn ashamed I couldn’t stand to let her see me in prison. Even when she wrote and pleaded to let her come visit, I never wrote back.
And according to my sister, Katie hates me for it.
I don’t blame her one bit, but I’d like the chance to at least explain. I know I don’t deserve a second of her time, but I’ve learned a valuable lesson—life is too damn short.
An hour later, Tyler pulls into the driveway of an old beat-up farmhouse that I’m shocked is still standing.
“This is where she lives?” I ask, surprised.
“It needs a little TLC.” Tyler chuckles. “She’s planning to fix it up.”
Fix it up?At this rate, it’d be faster to demolish the whole thing and build it back from scratch.
“She hasn’t moved in yet, but she comes here every evening and weekend to work on it,” Gemma explains.
Inhaling a sharp breath, I grab the door handle. “Okay, wish me luck. Here goes nothin’.” I push open the door and step out. My heart races as I walk up onto the porch to the front door.
Nervously, I knock on the cracked wood, then wait as a million thoughts run through my mind.
Has time been good to her?
Does Owen look like Gabe?
Will she forgive me?
I hear footsteps, and when the door opens, I nearly lose my breath when I see Katie for the first time in a decade.
She’s even more stunning than I remembered. Her blond hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail, and dust and dry paint cover her shirt.
“Ka—”
Before I can even finish saying her name, she steps back and slams the door in my face.
I deserved that.
My head and heart drop.
When I get back to the SUV, everyone gives me the most pitiful looks.
“Yeah, she hates me.”
Tyler turns and looks at me. “Give her time.”
I scrunch my nose. “Moretime? How much more time should I give her?”
“Give her space,” Gemma clarifies as Tyler backs out of the driveway. “She’ll come around.”
I blow out a frustrated breath. Fuck, I hope so.
“Or here’s an idea…” Tyler begins. “She needs help on the new house, and Noah just so happens to be pretty good at fixing shit.”
I scoff. “Katie will never hire me.”
“She works during the day. She can’t say no if she doesn’t know…” Tyler grins at me through the mirror.
