But then Will spoke up, not looking at me. “Say you’re sorry,” he said.
Sorry?
It only took a moment for me to realize what he was talking about.
He wanted an apology. For everything.
I dropped my eyes, frowning.
He wanted me to cower down? Like we all haven’t made fucking mistakes, and I hadn’t already proved that I wanted this and I was ready? That I wouldn’t go there again?
Words were shit. They didn’t mean anything.
I gave Winter a whole fucking monologue last night, and not one word from her since. What we did mattered, not what we said.
But they just stared at me, all waiting for me to say it, like if I said it everything would be fine. Would it be fine?
I wanted them back, though, and while my father taught me powerful men didn’t apologize, maybe—just this once—I could choke out the words. I had fucked up, after all, and I was actually pretty lucky they hadn’t taken my head over everything.
I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth. “I’m sorry.”
They all just looked at me, frozen, for forever, and my stomach was knotted so tightly, I was about to hit someone if the words hung in the air any longer.
And then Michael rose from his seat and slipped into his suit jacket. “Contact Mike Bower and tell him we want to talk,” he told me and then walked over to kiss Rika goodbye.
I almost smiled. Bower ran the city council. We’d need to talk to him to get Rika on the ballot.
Will and Kai stood up after him, gathering their stuff and starting to leave with him.
“And we’ll meet at The Cove tomorrow with the architectural firm,” Michael informed me as he walked past. “Ten o’clock.”
I nodded, accepting his invitation to be there, relief immediately washing over me.
They left—I wasn’t sure where—but Rika and I stood there for a moment, silent. I knew there were things she wanted to say—maybe get mad about what just happened and being pushed into a new role with a hell of a lot of responsibility she hadn’t asked for—but she picked up her leather school bag and hooked it over her head, walking past me.
I let her go, standing there, but then I heard her footsteps stop and her voice behind me.
“Michael and Kai are smarter than you, you know?” she said.
I listened.
“Because if there’s one thing they know about revenge, Damon, it’s that it won’t feel nearly as good as her love will.”
I clenched my teeth together against the ache in my gut, but I felt it anyway.
Fuck you, Rika.
“But I think you already know that, don’t you?” she continued.
Fuck you so much.
“She’ll make you stronger,” she said. “And we need you strong.”
I closed my eyes, not wanting to feel the shit I felt when I was nineteen when I let myself…want her.
When I let myself fucking love her.
When I let my guard down and believed what was happening between us was stronger than anything and guys like me could have a completely different life.