Miles had obviously just been upstairs. Had seen her apartment.

He knew she’d packed up as many of her belongings as she could fit in her car.

He knew she’d left. Again.

But he wasn’t walking away from her.

He was walking toward her.

Tabitha’s heart leapt, surging forward as if trying to get to him.

Trying to get to the one man, the only person, who’d ever cherished it.

He stopped a good six feet away, the setting sun behind him casting the hills in red and orange, the streetlight between them covering him in a yellow glow. His hair was a mess, like he’d run his hand through it several times, the strands on the left side sticking straight up, his face drawn, his eyes tired.

“Are you okay?”

Tears rushed to the surface at his quiet question. At it being the first one he asked her after what she’d done.

She swallowed and shook her head. “Not really, no.”

He took a step closer, watching her closely. “Did you forget something?”

You, her heart screamed. You, you, you!

“I promised you I wouldn’t walk away like I did before,” she said, her words coming out quick and nervous, her fingers twisting together at her waist. “That I’d tell you if I wanted to leave and give you a chance to try and fix it.”

He sent a raised eyebrow look at her packed car. “Seems to me you already broke that promise.”

“I didn’t break it. Not all the way. I didn’t leave. I’m here.”

That had to count for something.

Please, please, let that count for something.

“You cleared out your apartment like a criminal on the run. You’ve ignored all my texts and calls.”

She opened her mouth but noticed Katarina crossing the yard behind him and shut it again. Waited until the other woman had climbed onto the porch then went inside the house.

“I fucked up again.”

He nodded, still watching her with that careful gaze. “Yeah. You did. The only question I have is why? Did I do something?”

“No.”

“Say something?”

She shook her head.

“If I went too fast—”

“You didn’t.”

“—or asked for too much—”

“No. Stop.” It broke her heart that he would think he’d done something wrong. “It’s not you. It was nothing you did or said. It’s me.”

He snorted out a disbelieving laugh. “Are you seriously using the it’s not you, it’s me line?”