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“It’s no fun eating pie if you have to eat it alone.”
He took the plate, and we walked into the den. Each of us sat on opposite sofas as we ate our pie in silence.
When I finished, I set the plate on the coffee table and took a deep breath. Slowly letting it out, I asked, “Where do we go from here?”
Mitch set his plate down and captured my eyes with his. “The first thing I need to know is if you can forgive me.”
Swallowing hard, I wrung my hands together. “Before I answer you, I need to say a few things first.”
With a nod, he replied, “I thought you would.”
My lower lip was going to be bruised if I kept gnawing on it. “I’ve never felt such hurt as the day you told me what happened. I’d dreamed of having a future with you, Mitch. The white picket fence, a couple of kids, and maybe even a dog.”
At the thought, he smiled slightly, as did I.
But then my smile faded. “You destroyed that dream in an instant.”
His expression changed, and I couldn’t help but notice the sadness in his eyes. I was positive it mirrored mine.
“I know I did. And I’ll live with that mistake for the rest of my life. There isn’t a moment in my day when I don’t regret what I did. I hate myself for it. If you can’t forget, I understand, but please forgive me.”
There was no doubt in my mind that Mitch was speaking from his heart, and I knew the answer I was ready to give him. But something else needed to be done first.
I pulled out my phone again. “Will you excuse me for one minute? I need to make a call.”
He looked confused as hell. “Um, okay.”
Heading into my father’s office, I walked in and shut the door. I hit Zeb’s number and drew in a shaky breath.
“I had a feeling you were going to call.”
My chest tightened. “I’m so sorry, Zeb.”
He let out a lighthearted chuckle. “He’d have been a fool not to fight for you. I had a feeling, if you ran into each other, this might happen.”
“I didn’t mean for it to.”
Zeb let out a sigh. “We both knew things between us were never going to work. I think we became such good friends that neither one of us wanted to be the one to end things.”
“Do you hate me?”
Laughing, he said, “No. But can I see you when you get back? I need to pick up a few things from your place that I left there. Plus, I’d like to say good-bye properly.”
Relief washed over my body. Thank goodness Zeb had been feeling the same way as me.
“Of course. Skylar and I are heading back on Saturday. I’ll text you when we get there, and you can stop by.”
“That’s perfect. And, hey, one more thing.”
I was anxious to get off the phone and back to Mitch. Chewing on my thumbnail, I replied, “Anything.”
“Thank you.”
I pulled my head back. “For what?”
“You’ve helped me in ways you’ll never know. Good luck, darling. I hope y’all get things worked out.”
“Thank you, Zeb. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“See ya later. And y’all be careful while driving back to Waco.”
“You, too. Bye.”
I hit End and raced back into the den. Mitch was standing at the large bay window, staring out of it. Walking up to him, I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears. The closer I got, the louder it grew.
Turning, Mitch smiled when he saw me standing there. “Is everything okay?”
I couldn’t deny my feelings any longer. I never stopped loving Mitch. Even though he’d hurt me to the core, I knew that, in some strange way, it would make us stronger in the long run.
“I think it’s going to be.”
He went to say something when I quickly walked up to him, stood on the tips of my toes, and pressed my lips to his.
It was as if we had never been apart. The kiss started slow with Mitch cupping my face with his hands. It soon turned more passionate, his hand pushing into my hair and tugging my head back so that he could kiss me deeper.
“Michelle,” he whispered against my lips, “I’m nothing without you.”
My lady parts were throbbing as I grabbed on to his T-shirt and looked into his eyes. Before this went any further, I needed him to know the truth about Zeb and me. “Nothing ever happened between me and Zeb. I mean, we never had sex.”
I could see his eyes turn dark at the thought of another man touching me. In a small way, I was glad he was feeling the sting from that. It wasn’t anything like what I’d felt, but at least it was something.
“It was only that one time. I haven’t been out with anyone. You’re the only woman I will ever love. Will ever want to be with. Please let me hear you say you forgive me. I can’t live my life without you, Michelle.”
