Page 24 of Tease Me

“I don’t love you.” Stepping back, he began closing the door, pausing once more to put the final nail in the coffin. “And I don’t want you.”

His hands clenched into fists,which he released almost immediately. “Because my mom needed medical treatment and it was fucking expensive," he growled, feeling his embarrassment rise. He looked down at his mug. "We couldn't afford anything other than the basics. The drugs, the treatment... it all cost a lot. Mom needed full-time care...”

“What did that have to do with me?”

He sighed. “I didn’t deserve you, Vee. I wanted you to have the best life possible—”

“And Iwould have,Beau. With you.”

He shook his head. “What could I have offered you? I was flat broke. I had no college degree. No job prospects. My dreams of becoming an architect were shot to fucking pieces, and I had a dying mother to top it all off.” Reaching across the table, he took her hand. “If you’d stayed with me, you would’ve been dragged down with me. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if that happened.”

She withdrew her hand. “You should’ve let me decide that.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Evangeline nodded, but he knew he was far from being forgiven. She cleared her throat. “Your mom was sick for nearly four years?"

"Yeah. She had chemo, but in the end she'd decided she didn’t want to keep going through the treatment." He shrugged. "In the end, it was hell seeing her so sick and feeling like I couldn't do anything to help her."

"Christ." Vee's epithet was spoken slowly and quietly. With tears in her eyes, she said, "I'm sorry."

He cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "Thank you."

"And I'm sorry I missed her funeral."

He shrugged. "You didn't know."

It was her turn to clear her throat, only this time, he heard her remorse. "I loved your mom."

"I know."

For a beat, there was silence until finally she said, "I wish you'd tried to call me. My number hasn’t changed since college."

"I wish I had too," he replied. "I just... couldn't. I was embarrassed by how I’d acted and what I’d said."

She frowned slightly. "Why didn’t you just tell me the truth? Did you think I wouldn't understand?"

"I don't know."

She looked down at her iced tea and began stabbing the straw into the ice cubes. "I was so angry with you, Beau."

Hope rose in him. "Youwereangry?"

Her hard, dark eyes met his face. "I'm still fucking pissed off at you, asshole."

Her outburst drew the attention of some of the other customers sitting around them. Flashing them an apologetic smile, he said to Vee, "Can you keep your voice down?"

"Fuck you," she growled. "When you dumped me—rejected me like that—you—" Her mouth shut with an audible click. In a lower voice she said, "You made me not want to let anyone else in."

He nodded solemnly. "So, where do we go from here?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you mean."

"I mean, can we at least be friends again? I've missed having you in my life, Vee. You were my best friend before we became lovers. When I saw you the other night, I thought I'd been dreaming."

"Friends," she murmured, talking to herself. Beau gave her a moment to process his request. He knew from experience that pushing her to do something she didn't want to do would always end in her digging in her heels; she was as stubborn as a mule. When her eyes refocused on him again, her expression was unreadable. "I don't think I can do that."

"But—"

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