“Wow, I’m so sorry, Alex.” Damien had told me the short version, but holy shit. I couldn’t imagine going through something like that.
“It’s okay,” he said. “It’s over now. But when you started coming around, you showed so many of those initial positive qualities that she had. Beauty, intelligence, humor. Even though you never showed any of the negative qualities, I made the connection in my mind between you and her and couldn’t let it go. She really messed me up. And I’m sorry that I ever thought you might be the same way, because I know now that you’re not. And I know I was so fucking awful to you, and I can’t apologize enough.”
I squeezed my arms tighter around him. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “And she didn’t deserve you.” I knew I shouldn’t forgive so easily, but for some reason, things felt different this time around.
He leaned his head to the side and rested it on top of mine. “I know you’re leaving next month, but you should at least give Damien a proper goodbye. I think it might help.”
I nodded, wiping away the last of my tears, and let him help me up.
“By the way,” he added, “you said your lease was up this week. Where were you planning on staying for a whole month?”
I looked down, not wanting to meet his eye. “Uhhh . . . my car,” I said sheepishly.
“Your car? Are you serious?” His tone was incredulous.
I nodded, still not making eye contact.
“No way in hell. You’ll stay with us until you’re ready to go to California.”
I snapped my head up. “What? No. I can’t do that to you. Especially with how Damien probably feels about me right now. No.”
“You can either agree, or I’ll make you agree. But there is no way I’m letting you live in your car when we have a perfectly good empty guest bedroom.”
“But what about Damien? I don’t want to make this harder on him. I can’t put him through that.”
“How about we go to the house and you talk to him first? Because I promise that he’ll be happy to see you as much as he can before you leave.”
“Okay . . .”
I moved to step around him to grab my purse, but he quickly enveloped me in a tight embrace. “I’ve missed you too, you know,” he said softly. “It’s been a long time since I felt this much for someone, and it scared me.”
I rested my head on his chest. “I know. Me too.” I had tried so hard to hold back my feelings, especially for him, but now there was no use. Everything was coming out into the open anyway.
“I really do care about you,” he whispered, as if it was difficult for him to admit. I didn’t blame him for being scared to share his feelings after everything he’d been through.
“And I really care about you,” I said. I willed myself to pull away, but I couldn’t. Not yet. Not after I had spent these past few weeks mourning my relationship with him and Damien. I didn’t know if Damien would forgive me, but I’d try damn hard to show him how much he still meant to me. “Now come on, let’s go see Damien.”