don’t know what I can do to make you believe me.”
Regan shrugged. “That’s the problem with trust, Dylan. It’s something that has to be earned. I don’t know what you can say to make me trust you.”
Dylan remained quiet.
“You hurt me, Dylan. It would have hurt less if you took my heart out of my chest and stomped on it. I won’t allow myself to be put in a situation where you can do that to me again.”
“I love you, Regan,” he said quietly. “I think I fell in love with you within the first ten minutes of being your patient. I never stopped loving you, and when you were in my life, I was unstoppable. I was stupid, but you kept me grounded and focused. Without you, I couldn’t get moving and I . . . I was just in an ugly place. I tried to mask the pain I was feeling and forget about you with alcohol. I was a wreck, and please don’t think I’m saying any of the things that happened are your fault. They were mine. I set the events in motion that one stupid night, and I don’t blame you for leaving.”
Tears slid down Regan’s face, and she quickly swiped at them.
“But please believe me, that’s the past. I’m different now, Regan. I’ve . . . I guess you could say I’ve grown up, and I want you in my future.”
They were silent for a moment as Regan cried, and Dylan looked at her as though he were begging her for forgiveness.
“Dylan, I don’t think I can do that. Maybe it would be best if I just left and—”
“No.”
“Dylan—”
“No. Please don’t, Regan. I’m begging you. I’m outright begging you. Please. Don’t leave. Let me show you how I’ve changed. Let me show you that we belong together.”
What could she say to that? Deep down she knew that she wanted to be with Dylan, and she had never stopped wanting that. However, she just didn’t trust him with her feelings.
But, people change. Maybe what he said was the truth. She had only spent two weeks with him, but she had noticed little things that were different. He didn’t carry the swagger of his younger days, and he seemed quieter, more reflective.
“When we were together before, everyone wanted to give me everything. Promoters wanted me. People wanted me to fight. Women threw themselves at me. I took what was being handed out, not realizing that I was destroying the one thing in my life that was my everything. You.”
Regan brushed away the tears again.
“Now, I’m just a guy who’s trying to get his life back on track. No one is giving me anything, which is fine. Like trust with you, I have to earn my way.”
“Dylan, I don’t know what to say,” and she truly didn’t. What she did realize was that she had been waiting to hear these words for a very long time.
Dylan sighed. “For right now, just say you’ll stay. Just say you’ll give me a chance to prove myself to you.”
Regan studied him. He seemed so sincere and honest, she found herself nodding before she knew what she was doing.
“Thank you,” he whispered, leaned over and kissed her.
It was a gentle, quick kiss. He pushed her hair behind her ear, and then traced one finger down her cheek to her neck. “I hate it when you cry,” he said, brushing a tear away. “It rips me up inside.”
“I don’t particularly like it either,” she said, smiling.
He brought his lips to hers. Again, the kiss was soft and sweet.
“I really want to take you back to the house and get you naked,” he whispered against her lips, and then leaned back against the wall again. “But I won’t. I’m going to show you that I love you, that I respect you, and that you are so much more to me than just a lay.”
She never thought that, but she did have reservations about sleeping with him because she didn’t think she could keep her feelings and emotions out of it.
“Dylan—”
“Shhhh,” he said, putting his finger on her lips. “Please. Let me show you how I’ve changed.”
Maybe he had. Maybe he truly was this new person he claimed to be.
Regan shrugged. “That’s the problem with trust, Dylan. It’s something that has to be earned. I don’t know what you can say to make me trust you.”
Dylan remained quiet.
“You hurt me, Dylan. It would have hurt less if you took my heart out of my chest and stomped on it. I won’t allow myself to be put in a situation where you can do that to me again.”
“I love you, Regan,” he said quietly. “I think I fell in love with you within the first ten minutes of being your patient. I never stopped loving you, and when you were in my life, I was unstoppable. I was stupid, but you kept me grounded and focused. Without you, I couldn’t get moving and I . . . I was just in an ugly place. I tried to mask the pain I was feeling and forget about you with alcohol. I was a wreck, and please don’t think I’m saying any of the things that happened are your fault. They were mine. I set the events in motion that one stupid night, and I don’t blame you for leaving.”
Tears slid down Regan’s face, and she quickly swiped at them.
“But please believe me, that’s the past. I’m different now, Regan. I’ve . . . I guess you could say I’ve grown up, and I want you in my future.”
They were silent for a moment as Regan cried, and Dylan looked at her as though he were begging her for forgiveness.
“Dylan, I don’t think I can do that. Maybe it would be best if I just left and—”
“No.”
“Dylan—”
“No. Please don’t, Regan. I’m begging you. I’m outright begging you. Please. Don’t leave. Let me show you how I’ve changed. Let me show you that we belong together.”
What could she say to that? Deep down she knew that she wanted to be with Dylan, and she had never stopped wanting that. However, she just didn’t trust him with her feelings.
But, people change. Maybe what he said was the truth. She had only spent two weeks with him, but she had noticed little things that were different. He didn’t carry the swagger of his younger days, and he seemed quieter, more reflective.
“When we were together before, everyone wanted to give me everything. Promoters wanted me. People wanted me to fight. Women threw themselves at me. I took what was being handed out, not realizing that I was destroying the one thing in my life that was my everything. You.”
Regan brushed away the tears again.
“Now, I’m just a guy who’s trying to get his life back on track. No one is giving me anything, which is fine. Like trust with you, I have to earn my way.”
“Dylan, I don’t know what to say,” and she truly didn’t. What she did realize was that she had been waiting to hear these words for a very long time.
Dylan sighed. “For right now, just say you’ll stay. Just say you’ll give me a chance to prove myself to you.”
Regan studied him. He seemed so sincere and honest, she found herself nodding before she knew what she was doing.
“Thank you,” he whispered, leaned over and kissed her.
It was a gentle, quick kiss. He pushed her hair behind her ear, and then traced one finger down her cheek to her neck. “I hate it when you cry,” he said, brushing a tear away. “It rips me up inside.”
“I don’t particularly like it either,” she said, smiling.
He brought his lips to hers. Again, the kiss was soft and sweet.
“I really want to take you back to the house and get you naked,” he whispered against her lips, and then leaned back against the wall again. “But I won’t. I’m going to show you that I love you, that I respect you, and that you are so much more to me than just a lay.”
She never thought that, but she did have reservations about sleeping with him because she didn’t think she could keep her feelings and emotions out of it.
“Dylan—”
“Shhhh,” he said, putting his finger on her lips. “Please. Let me show you how I’ve changed.”
Maybe he had. Maybe he truly was this new person he claimed to be.
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