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I scoffed. “You think?”
“But you guys are complicated. Always have been. It is what it is. But he’s also the one who’s been protecting you,” Fiora pointed out gently. “Loving you from afar.”
“I know,” I said, feeling a tear slip down my cheek. “But how can I trust someone who’s been lying to me all this time?”
“Has he been? Lying? Did you ever ask him and he denied it?”
“Well, no. But—” I shrugged, unsure of the answer. “Maybe not lying, per se. But he’s been keeping secrets from me. And I don’t know what else he’s hiding.”
Fiora nodded in understanding. “That’s fair. But we all have secrets. And you should talk to him. Hear him out. Maybe there’s a reason why he didn’t tell you everything right away.”
She was right… we all had secrets. I was no different in that regard.
“I don’t know,” I said, wiping away my tears. “It’s just all so confusing. And I don’t know if I can handle it.”
“You can, and you will,” Fiora said, giving me a reassuring pat on the back. “You just have to decide what you want. And whether or not you’re willing to take a risk. You don’t want to be sitting here gutting fish, wondering what could have been.”
Taking a deep breath, I looked back at Fiora. “You’re right. I need to talk to Locke. But I don’t even know how to bring it up. The last time I saw him I was so angry. I said mean things. He may not want to ever see or speak to me again.”
Fiora grinned and glanced over my shoulder. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”
I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Locke’s footsteps I heard behind me.
Fiora pulled me into a hug, holding me tightly. “I’ll call you later. But stop hiding. Stop fighting. And put down the bloody fish when you talk to him.” She pulled away, winked at me, and left.
I dropped the fish in the bin, not realizing I had been holding the slimy creature in my hand the entire time. Wiping my hands on my apron again, I slowly turned around to face the man who had been haunting my dreams and consuming my thoughts. Locke stood there, tall and imposing, his dark hair tousled by the wind. His eyes locked onto mine, and I felt my heart skip a beat.
“Locke,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Storee,” he replied, his voice low and husky.
We stood there in silence for a moment, just looking at each other. His expression was unreadable, his intense gaze piercing through me like a hot knife through butter.
“I know you’re expecting an apology,” he said finally, taking a step toward me. “But I’m not going to give you that.”
I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. “Right. You don’t like apologies. I know.” I took a step back, feeling a wave of anger wash over me. “So why are you here then?”
“I know you’re angry. And you have every right to be. But I want you to understand why I did what I did. Why I watched you all those months. Why I hunted you.”
Locke took a step closer to me, reaching out to touch my arm. I flinched, pulling away from him. I wasn’t strong enough to resist his touch. I knew this.
“Are you going to try to explain away everything? Like it’s all okay? Like you didn’t deceive me? Violate me?”
“Is that what you feel? Violated?”
I crossed my arms, not wanting to give away the fact that I had been hoping he would come here and beg forgiveness, take me into his arms, kiss me, and promise me the world. “I’m not sure what I feel.”
“I want you to know that I didn’t do it out of malice. I did it because I care about you. I wanted to protect you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Protect me? By stalking me? By chasing me and fucking me in the forest without me knowing it was you? Are you serious right now?”
Locke took a deep breath. “When your father died, I didn’t know who did it. I had a good idea, but I didn’t know for a fact. I also didn’t know if your life was in danger next. Again, I was pretty sure you weren’t going to be harmed, but I also wasn’t sure. All the uncertainty drove me crazy. The guilt I carried about Gabriel’s death ate me alive. And the only thing I had toground me even the slightest was you. I sure as hell wasn’t going to risk anything happening to you.”
I leaned in, narrowing my eyes. “And how does secretly fucking me fit into all that?”
“Because I didn’t want it to be anyone else doing it,” he countered. “I couldn’t stand the idea of you being with another man.”
Locke reached out to touch my face. I jerked my head away, feeling his touch as if it were a burn.
