Page 78 of The Irresistible One
I’d been leaning against the edge of the stone, and I pulled back one of the stools and took a seat.
“Let’s start with this,” he said after I remained silent. “Did the run help?”
“No.” I held the sides of my head. “Because guess who I fucking saw.”
“Colson was on the same run?”
I nodded.
He put his hands in the air. “That wasn’t my doing, I swear. Last night, sure, I’ll take the blame. But I had no idea you were going running this morning.”
My eyes closed. “It’s just one coincidence after another. Everywhere I go, he’s there. Everywhere except right here.”
“But what if it isn’t a coincidence? What if the universe is trying to put you two together?” The kitchen lights shone against his gelled hair and beard. The blackness so dark that there were hints of blue in his strands.
“I know you don’t believe a word of what you just said.”
“What if your situation has changed my mind and I do?”
“Hayden …” My exhale was long and drawn out. “Don’t tell me you’re joining the Dottie train. I heard everything she said last night about all the regret she has. But she’s coming from a different place than us. She never took a step in our shoes. She didn’t grow up like we did.” I paused. “She doesn’t get it.”
“She gets it, Sophie. She might not have seen the before, but she experienced the after.”
A statement that shook me to my core.
He moved next to me, his arms so close as they rested on the counter that they almost touched mine. “For what it’s worth, he’s a good dude. I like him.” He gripped my shoulder. “That approval should hold some significant weight—you know, it’s hard to get that kind of seal from me.”
It was impossible to get it from any of my family. We didn’t let just anyone in. We weren’t built to trust.
“Hayden, we’re like oil and water.”
We lived to fight one another. But that anger and frustration and animosity created explosive chemistry. For as much as I wanted to scream at him, I wanted to touch him equally as bad. For as hard as I wanted to push him away, I was desperate to pull him close.
It wasn’t a game. It was a disease that lived in my head.
“As you should be,” he said quietly. “Can you imagine if you liked someone who was just like you?” He huffed. “That wouldn’t work. Not even for a fucking second. You need someone who will challenge you, like he does, and battle you during every round. And someone who won’t put up with your shit and isn’t afraid to call you out on it either. That dude walked right into a dinner with you and some of the boys and gave no fucks, despite knowing how spicy you would treat him. That takes courage, especially since he knew everyone at the table was on your side, not his.”
I finally turned my head toward him. “I never said I liked him.”
“If you denied it, I wouldn’t believe you. Never in my lifehave I ever seen you act this way over a guy. And last night? Seeing you spiral? Shit, you drew the conclusion for me.” His green gaze was pleading with mine.
Hayden wasn’t wrong. I had spiraled. I wasn’t proud of that or my actions. I reacted on an assumption, and that wasn’t fair to Colson. But the moment I spotted him with her—his hand on hers, her fingers on him—all I saw was red.
Until this morning, when he told me who she was, and I felt like a fool.
A fool who deserved to be called out.
A fool because of how much the sight of him last night had affected me.
And a fool because I’d actually felt relief when I found out she wasn’t someone he wanted to sleep with.
“I didn’t handle things well at all,” I admitted. “Not last night or this morning. I’m sure he’s confused and pissed off and feeling a slew of other emotions.”
“How much does he know?”
My head shook. “He knows nothing.”
“Maybe it’s time to tell him? And throw in an apology or two?”
