apology.”
Her heart sped up and her pulse quickened. “You don’t owe me anything,” she said. It was a canned response. Of course she wanted him to apologize, wanted him to say he was sorry, wanted him to tell her that leaving her had been the biggest mistake of his life, that he couldn’t believe he’d ever let her go, that his life hadn’t turned out the way he’d wanted it to because she wasn’t in it.
“No, I do,” he said. “That night, I just left you waiting there. It was inexcusable.”
“We were just kids,” Anna told him. She reached for her iced tea and took another long sip. The cool, sweet liquid slid down her throat, and she hoped it would bring down her body temperature. She felt like her face was flaming.
“I know,” he said. “I know we were just kids.” He was looking at her, waiting for her to say something.
There was a moment, an opportunity, a second chance right there, waiting for her to grab it. She felt something pass between them, and she had the feeling that if she could just admit to Jaxon how hard it had been for her when he left, how much she had wanted to go with him, how much she had missed him, how she’d spent her last year of high school crying herself to sleep on the weekends, missing his kisses, his touch, his arms around her, that they might have another chance.
It was right there, on her lips, the confession she’d held from everyone all these years. The unspoken words that she’d never told Jaxon, or Katie, or anyone, ever. That she’d loved him all these years, that she’d never forgotten about him.
She looked across the table at the man she’d loved, the man who had just made love to her upstairs, the man who had moved inside her and whispered her name and told her she was beautiful.
She opened her mouth to tell him exactly how she felt. And that’s when she saw it. In his eyes. The little flick of indecision, the little spark of fear that let her know that wasn’t what he was looking for. He wanted forgiveness, yes. But it wasn’t the kind of forgiveness that allowed you to ride off into the sunset, making up for lost time.
He wanted to be let off the hook. He wanted to be told that it hadn’t mattered to her, that even if it had been upsetting at the time, she’d moved on. Maybe it would make him feel better for sleeping with her, maybe he just didn’t want to have any more guilt hanging over his head when it came to the two of them.
Either way, she couldn’t tell him how she really felt.
And so all she said was, “Jaxon, we were kids. You were an eighteen-year-old boy. I forgive you.”
He kept his eyes on hers, and she held her breath, hoping he was going to tell her that’s not what he meant, that he’d thought about her all these years, that he wanted to make it up to her.
But the moment brushed by them, and after a second, Jaxon smiled. “Good,” he said. “I’m glad.” He pushed the carton of pad thai toward her and put more on her plate.
The rest of the meal was spent making small talk about their jobs and people they’d gone to high school with. Anna swallowed her disappointment, and was even able to manage a laugh when Jaxon told her about Laney Battle’s plastic surgery addiction.
“She looks like the cat woman,” he said as they cleaned up the dishes.
“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Anna said, smiling.
“It is that bad,” Jaxon said. “Trust me.”
They worked and talked, moving through the kitchen in a well- choreographed dance.
“So,” he said when the last of the dishes were put in the dishwasher. “Should we watch a movie or something?”
Anna glanced at the clock on the microwave. The green numbers flashed twelve forty-seven. “It’s after midnight,” she said.
“What are you, Cinderella?” Jaxon leaned back against the counter and grinned.
Anna felt her knees go weak.
“No,” she said. “I just … It’s getting late. My parents are probably wondering where I
Her heart sped up and her pulse quickened. “You don’t owe me anything,” she said. It was a canned response. Of course she wanted him to apologize, wanted him to say he was sorry, wanted him to tell her that leaving her had been the biggest mistake of his life, that he couldn’t believe he’d ever let her go, that his life hadn’t turned out the way he’d wanted it to because she wasn’t in it.
“No, I do,” he said. “That night, I just left you waiting there. It was inexcusable.”
“We were just kids,” Anna told him. She reached for her iced tea and took another long sip. The cool, sweet liquid slid down her throat, and she hoped it would bring down her body temperature. She felt like her face was flaming.
“I know,” he said. “I know we were just kids.” He was looking at her, waiting for her to say something.
There was a moment, an opportunity, a second chance right there, waiting for her to grab it. She felt something pass between them, and she had the feeling that if she could just admit to Jaxon how hard it had been for her when he left, how much she had wanted to go with him, how much she had missed him, how she’d spent her last year of high school crying herself to sleep on the weekends, missing his kisses, his touch, his arms around her, that they might have another chance.
It was right there, on her lips, the confession she’d held from everyone all these years. The unspoken words that she’d never told Jaxon, or Katie, or anyone, ever. That she’d loved him all these years, that she’d never forgotten about him.
She looked across the table at the man she’d loved, the man who had just made love to her upstairs, the man who had moved inside her and whispered her name and told her she was beautiful.
She opened her mouth to tell him exactly how she felt. And that’s when she saw it. In his eyes. The little flick of indecision, the little spark of fear that let her know that wasn’t what he was looking for. He wanted forgiveness, yes. But it wasn’t the kind of forgiveness that allowed you to ride off into the sunset, making up for lost time.
He wanted to be let off the hook. He wanted to be told that it hadn’t mattered to her, that even if it had been upsetting at the time, she’d moved on. Maybe it would make him feel better for sleeping with her, maybe he just didn’t want to have any more guilt hanging over his head when it came to the two of them.
Either way, she couldn’t tell him how she really felt.
And so all she said was, “Jaxon, we were kids. You were an eighteen-year-old boy. I forgive you.”
He kept his eyes on hers, and she held her breath, hoping he was going to tell her that’s not what he meant, that he’d thought about her all these years, that he wanted to make it up to her.
But the moment brushed by them, and after a second, Jaxon smiled. “Good,” he said. “I’m glad.” He pushed the carton of pad thai toward her and put more on her plate.
The rest of the meal was spent making small talk about their jobs and people they’d gone to high school with. Anna swallowed her disappointment, and was even able to manage a laugh when Jaxon told her about Laney Battle’s plastic surgery addiction.
“She looks like the cat woman,” he said as they cleaned up the dishes.
“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Anna said, smiling.
“It is that bad,” Jaxon said. “Trust me.”
They worked and talked, moving through the kitchen in a well- choreographed dance.
“So,” he said when the last of the dishes were put in the dishwasher. “Should we watch a movie or something?”
Anna glanced at the clock on the microwave. The green numbers flashed twelve forty-seven. “It’s after midnight,” she said.
“What are you, Cinderella?” Jaxon leaned back against the counter and grinned.
Anna felt her knees go weak.
“No,” she said. “I just … It’s getting late. My parents are probably wondering where I
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