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“I was just telling Marcos that when he sees his ex, he should show her how good they could be together now. He thinks he should start off by rehashing the past and everything he did wrong.”
“Not rehashing so much as explaining and apologizing.” Marcos had felt uncomfortable enough that Kenzie knew his business and was offering advice. He hoped her husband wasn’t going to wade in.
Chase met his gaze.
Marcos blew out a sigh. “I’m a very private person. This is excruciating for me. But, yes, go on, say whatever it is you’re thinking.”
Chase held up a hand. “Hey. I don’t want to stick my nose in where it’s not wanted.” He winked at Kenzie. “My wife does enough of that for the both of us.”
Marcos chuckled. “No. You have to tell me what you think now. She cracked me open. I’m willing to hear it all.”
Kenzie chuckled. “It’s not all my fault. There’s something in the air here that makes people change—open up.”
Chase nodded. “And if you do want to know what I think … I’d say Kenzie’s right. Sure, you need to explain yourself, and you need to apologize for whatever you did.”
Kenzie fixed Marcos with a hard stare, but he shook his head. He appreciated their attempts to help, but he wasn’t about to tell them what he’d done back then—just how stupid he’d been.
“But,” continued Chase, “if you want to stand a chance of another shot with her, then you’re going to have to make her want it. Don’t keep her focused on how bad things were or how much you hurt her—I mean, yeah, you need to own it and tell her you’re sorry—but don’t stay there. Do something fun with her. Show her how good you can be together now and show her how great her future could be with you. Make her want to be with the man you’ve become and help her forget the boy who hurt her.”
Marcos nodded. It made sense. “Thanks.”
Chase shrugged. “I hope it helps. And if there’s anything more practical we can do to help, just tell us.”
Marcos couldn’t help but smile. They were so kind. He wasn’t used to that. He’d barely known them a few weeks. They were friends of his friends, but they cared, and they wanted to help. He nodded, but he didn’t trust himself to speak. There was a lump in his throat that he could only put down to this being an emotional time. He was on the verge of getting his second and last chance with Molly. He was bound to feel a little emotional. Still, he wouldn’t just tear up at the kindness of strangers. That wasn’t who he was.
Kenzie laughed. “If I could make one last suggestion, it’d be to take the stick out of your ass and relax! You’re amongst friends here. We’ve got your back.”
He had to swallow. It was ridiculous, but he could feel tears pricking behind his eyes. What the hell was going on with him?
Chase grasped his shoulder. “She’s right. Relax. And let your feelings show if you want to. You’ve got a built-in excuse—you’re Italian, you’re supposed to be passionate.”
Marcos smiled and nodded as a single tear escaped and rolled down his cheek. Maybe Chase was right; maybe it was time for him to finally allow himself to feel again. He’d let what he thought was logic steer him away from Molly when they were kids. That hadn’t turned out so well. Maybe it was finally time to listen to his heart—and at least admit he had one—and it was a soft one, even if he didn’t wear it on his sleeve.
“Thank you, thank you both. I appreciate it more than you know.” He looked at his orange juice. He didn’t want it. He wanted to go back to the house, spend some time getting his head together before he saw her. Antonio had texted him to say that they’d landed and were heading over to the lodge at Four Mile Creek. He had to decide if he wanted to go over there to join them all for dinner tonight or if he should wait until tomorrow and seek Molly out by herself.
Kenzie smiled at him. “You look like you’re ready to get out of here; you need to wrap your head around it all, don’t you?”
“I do. What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. It’s on me.”
He smiled at her and then at Chase. “Thanks. You two are the best.”
Kenzie nodded. “We do our best. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you.”
“Thanks.”
When he stepped out of the bar and back into the bright sunshine, a feeling of hope washed over him. Maybe he could make it right with Molly. Molly? It was. It was her. She was walking up the steps to the reception area—with Smoke, who was carrying her bag. He hurried after them and then stopped. What was he going to say? He wasn’t ready.
When they reached the top of the steps, Smoke held the door open and let Molly go in ahead of him. Before he followed her, he turned and spotted Marcos and waved a hand at him gesturing for him to come
Marcos froze. Now he had to go up there. Ready or not. He sucked in a deep breath, then slowly blew it out as he made his way up the steps.
Smoke greeted him with a grim smile and handed him Molly’s bag. “Here’s your chance.”
Marcos stuffed down the panic that was threatening to rise in his chest. “What do I say?”
Smoke shook his head. “That’s up to you. You’ve had twelve years to think about it. I’m not going to come up with anything in the next few seconds. Get after her before you have a chance to overthink it.”
