Page 64 of Redemption

“What I see—” I leaned forward, venom in my words “—is that this is what you do. When things get tough, you bail.” I lifted a shoulder. “I guess I should be grateful you had the decency to tell me you were leaving this time instead of letting me hear it from someone else.”

Before I could even blink, he was standing in front of me, our toes touching. “That’s not fair. That’s not fair, and you know it.”

“Is it fair to interview for a job across the country without telling the woman who loves you? Is it fair to accept that job and plan to move, all without ever telling her?—”

“I was going to tell you,” he huffed.

“When?” I straightened, unwilling to back down. “When were you going to tell me, Jackson? When your apartment was packed? When you’d boarded the plane to move to LA?”

He threw his hands in the air. “What do you want from me, Sloan? You want me to apologize?” He stepped closer. “I did. And I will say it again and again and again, until you believe me. I’m sorry. Okay?” His expression was full of remorse, his voice softer when he said, “I’m sorry. What I did was wrong, but you also can’t place all the blame on me.”

I scoffed. He wasn’t wrong. I had kept things from him, but… “I can’t believe you’re still hung up about my family.”

“I’m not—” He shook his head. “I’m not ‘hung up’ about your family.” His breath hitched. “I’m upset that you felt like you needed to keep that part of yourself from me. Especially after I trusted you.”

“You are unbelievable. Do you even hear yourself?” I gnashed my teeth. “Yes. I omitted some things about my family. And maybe it was wrong to do so, but I had my reasons.”

His expression was pained. “Did you honestly think I’d try to take advantage of your money?”

“No. Though, that had happened in the past.” But with Jackson, it had never been a concern.

“With guys you dated?”

I nodded. “And even with people I thought were my friends.”

He clenched his fists, but I knew his anger wasn’t directed at me. “I’m sorry. That’s—” He blew out a breath. “Really shitty.”

“Yeah. It was.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“So what, then?” he asked. “You thought I’d look at you differently?”

I hated to admit it, but… “Yeah. Kind of. I know how much you value hard work. I’ve seen the sacrifices you and your family have made. And I guess I was scared that—” I lifted a shoulder and peered out over the water. I took a deep breath. “I was scared you’d see me as some spoiled little rich girl.”

“Sloan.” He took my hand in his. “You could never be some spoiled little rich girl.”

I appreciated his saying that, but the fact remained that it had changed things. “Maybe not, but when you found out I was a hotel heiress, it still affected how you saw me.” When he opened his mouth to say something, I preempted him. “Don’t try to deny it, Jackson.”

He considered it a moment then said, “You’re right. But you’re also wrong.”

I furrowed my brow. He was talking in riddles, and my emotions were already frayed. “What does that mean?”

He sighed, sinking down on one of the benches. “It means that it only confirmed what I already knew.” He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away briefly before meeting my eyes. “I’m not good enough for you.”

“What?” I jerked my head back, his words piercing me. Gone was the anger, replaced by concern. Regret. “How could you think that? Did I—” I went over to him. “Did I ever make you feel that way?” I asked, feeling as if I might shatter.

“No, hayati.” He held my hand. “I realize now that I had a chip on my shoulder. That I was putting these expectations on myself about what my mom needed me to be, what Greer needed me to be. What I thought you needed me to be.”

His comment stopped me in his tracks, both with his vulnerability and the fact that he’d felt that way. It calmed my anger, making me realize that perhaps I’d misunderstood the situation. Misunderstood him.

I placed my hand over his heart, his skin warm beneath my palm. “I only ever needed you to be yourself.”

“I know.” He smiled at me, though it was tinged with a sadness that echoed in my heart. “I do. It’s just… When I was offered the job at Hudson, I couldn’t believe it—my luck was finally changing. I was still hoping the Navy would grant me an honorable discharge. And the job with Hudson felt like a way to redeem myself for getting expelled from the SEALs. A way to make my dad proud and honor his legacy. A way to build a better future for myself and my family.”

I noticed that he hadn’t mentioned a future for us. Because he saw our demise as “inevitable.” I was trying to keep an open mind, but that word still haunted me.

I was determined to finally get all the answers to all my questions, even if it hurt.

“How did you find out about the job?” I’d always assumed he’d heard about Hudson from a friend or discovered them online.

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