Page 38 of Unstoppable Love

“Move.”

I shook my head. My heart was racing. My heart thumped so powerfully it thundered against my rib cage. In all the years I’d thought about this moment, I’d never prepared myself for how awful it would feel. So much worse than any other time she screamed at me over the years.

“I…” Shit. “You need to know what I meant when I said I remembered.”

She stared up into my eyes, and I couldn’t pull mine off hers. Her chin trembled as she swallowed thickly.

“Tell me,” she rasped, the weight in her tone so heavy that my heart sank straight to my gut.

Fuck. Fuck! God, I hated that I had to do this and wanted to run from it. My arms started shaking from the strain, and I mirrored her heavy swallow. “I never forgot that night we spent together. I remember every single, beautiful moment of that night.”

Pain flashed across her face like I’d whipped her. She turned, closed her eyes. Nostrils flared.

“Get away from me,” she whispered, but it was hoarse. Gravelly.

“Ava—”

“Shut up.”

“Listen to me.”

“I hate you,” she rasped.

I’d always known she would. Hearing it this time with the pain so thick in her throat, it unraveled me. “There were reasons I acted how I did and only one of those is because I was young and dumb. Please, Ava. I’m sorry. I really am, but I need you to listen.”

“Get out.”

“Your brother almost saw us. He knocked, and I barely got to the door before he opened it, and I hid you from his view, but he almost saw us, Ava. He asked if I had someone in there for him to have.”

God. I still wanted to throw up when I thought about that. Isaiah had never even been a pig like that, just in a bad spot at the time. The fact that was what he asked when it was his sister…

“Get out,” she whispered again.

She needed to look at me, and I went to reach for her, to touch her, but she slapped my hand away and glared up at me. Flaming arrows shot from her eyes, but it was the tears in them that made my knees buckle.

“I meant to talk to you about it. I wanted to. Swear to God, on your life, on Grams, on everybody’s in this town. I wanted to explain it to you later. Apologize. I’d just freaked that morning, but I thought we’d agree no one would know, and I was leaving.”

She clamped her lips shut, swiped at her tears. I fought the urge to brush them away for her. My touch would be unwanted.

I waited for her to say something. Anything. To rage at me or push me or tell me to get out again, but she stayed silent.

“I saw Grams the next day. She’d already seen you. And somehow, I don’t know how, Ava, because I know you didn’t say anything to her about me, at least, but when I saw her, she told me to leave it. We were young, I was leaving, and we had growing to do. I tried to tell her that I wanted to make it right with you, but she told me to let it be.”

“Grams?”

I nodded. Her brows wrinkled as she blew out a breath.

“I swear. I would have said something to you, or at least talked to you about it, but I was worried I’d make it worse, and Grams was on my ass to stay away from you, to let you grow and heal and figure out who you were. You didn’t need me muddling your head.”

She huffed a cold, vicious laugh. “You listened to Grams.”

“I was a kid, Ava. And I’m sorry I hurt you, and I’m sorry I never came clean, but I’ve loved you since you were fourteen years old, and that was way too young for anyone to be loving anyone, but I swear to you, you’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted. The only woman I’ve ever loved.”

There. I’d done it. I’d finally admitted, out loud, everything I’d felt for her. The reason behind my lies. I’d expected to feel lighter.

The opposite happened.

As the blood rushed from Ava’s face and the pain returned tenfold, I didn’t feel lighter.

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