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I lift my chin. “You’ve been a total bastard.”
“Well… I won’t make excuses for myself. I handled everything wrong. I wasn’t open or vulnerable. I saw you, and saw the amazing love you offered me. And I got scared. Scared of being hurt again. Scared of maybe not being able to give you what you deserve. Or of not deserving such a wonderful, brilliant ray of sunshine in my life. I made excuses about my career and moving to London. But really, I was running away from you.”
My mouth opens and closes several times. I stare at him, bewildered. My heart beats so loud and fast that I am sure everyone in the county can hear it.
Cole’s saying all the right things. Everything that my battered heart could want. But can I believe them?
Do I dare take a chance on this man when he has already ruined me once?
“This is… not what I expected you to say,” I blurt out at last.
“I’m sorry. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m going to beg you for it anyway.” He comes close enough to touch me and picks up my hand. He turns it over and kisses my palm as he kneels down. “Please, Savannah. Please forgive me. I love you. And I think you love me. Give me a chance to make things right.”
I swallow around the lump of emotions that has settled in my throat.
“I’m not sure I can,” I rasp. “I think you shattered my heart into too many pieces to ever make it whole again.”
“Give me the next hour to convince you. All I’m asking is for your time. If you won’t forgive me after that, I will leave you alone.”
“You said that before!”
“I know.” Cole looks pained. “My brothers told me that I was being a fool to let you go. They were right, of course. But they also helped me realize that I was about to go down a path I couldn’t come back from, when all I really wanted is to be here with you. Please, Sav. Please, let me at least explain what is happening with the community center.”
He looks at me with this desperation in his dark blue eyes. I’m scared. Of him, of myself, of opening myself to be hurt again.
But I think of the conversation I had with Lucy. Will I be able to say that I gave it my all if I walk away now? No, I don’t think so.
“Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll give you an hour.”
Cole kisses my wrist. “Thank you, darling.”
His words make me want to fling myself into his arms and satisfy myself with a kiss. But I won’t do that. I refuse to be a stupid, wishy-washy person. I give him a stern look and pull my hand from his grasp.
“Your time already started, Cole. Get moving.”
“Right.” Cole gets up, and then raises his arm to indicate the shuttered grocery store next to us. “Starting tomorrow, this is going to be the new temporary community center for the next year until a new one can be constructed a block away.”
“What?” My eyebrows jump up and I look to the darkened store windows. “You… this… I don’t understand!”
Tears of confusion well up. He moves closer and touches my hand, but I rip it away. He grimaces and then bows his head.
“My family’s company has leased this property to renovate it for the community’s use while the new community center is built.”
I shake my head. “This building doesn’t have a stage. Your own damn kid is in the play that… I guess just won’t go on now?”
He holds up a finger. “Bear with me for a few more minutes. Okay? Then you can really let me have it if you still want to.”
“I hate this,” I tell him. “And I hate that you’re doing it. I want you to just come out with it already.”
He winces. “That’s fair, but I’m still going to ask you to do it. It’ll be worth it, I promise.”
“I’m hearing a lot of promises and not a lot of follow-throughs.”
“You’ll know everything in fifteen minutes.”
Cole grabs my hand and leads me into the alley between the buildings. His hand covering my own feels warm and real. I just have to keep reminding myself that I am looking for something real and lasting. That’s where this whole relationship faltered.
I want Cole to want to stay here forever. Him offering me a relationship for a week or a month or a year is just not enough anymore!
