Page 65 of Pretty Heartache

“I realize I don’t know much about your dating history. And with the way you are in bed, it got me thinking…”

I raise my eyebrows. “Are you asking how many women I’ve slept with?”

“Sort of.” She lifts one shoulder, curling in on herself. A hint of pink touches her cheeks. “Or just serious relationships in general.”

“Oh, man.” I sigh, and stare at the ceiling. “Unfortunately, if you’re asking for a number on how many women I’ve slept with since I lost my virginity, I won’t be able to give you one.”

“Micah Harding, a Playboy?” Addy mocks, pretending to gasp. “No…”

“Stop.” I laugh, her sarcasm a slight pin prick to the chest. But she’s right. I’ve had a reputation for years as the menace little brother of the Harding dynasty. Up until last year, I wore it like a badge of honor, sporting it proudly. And up until a few months ago, I’d slipped back into old habits, delicately balancing on the line of wanting to be the person I know I am to the person I once was.

“It’s okay,” Adeline says, disappointment lingering in her voice. “I kind of expected that. But what about relationships?”

I rest my hand on my forehead and shove the ends of my hair back. “The last serious relationship I had was right before I went to prison. I was with Calista for almost two years when I cut things off with her the day before my sentencing.”

I close my eyes and remember the day I’d bought this house. Calista stood on the front porch and told me about the life she’d envisioned here with me, but that dream died the second I stepped into my prison cell. I’d considered asking her to marry me but wasn’t sure I was completely ready to take that leap at the time.

I’ve been dealing with the loss of that dream ever since.

“You didn’t think she’d stay with you until you got out?” Adeline whispers.

I roll my head back to her. “No,” I sigh. “I noticed the way she looked at me, and I didn’t want to be with someone who looked at me with disdain, because even after I got out, it would always be a point of contention with us. It would always be an issue.”

Guilt and regret make a home in my bones.

Silence lingers before Adeline breaks it. “Did you want children with her?”

A knot tightens in my chest. “I’ve always envisioned having children. I still want them, but I don’t know if it’ll ever happen.”

“Do you regret leaving Calista?” she asks, as if reading my mind.

I cup the side of Adeline’s face. Heat spreads down the length of my arm, warming at the place we’re connected. I haven’t talked about Calista in a long time, but the feeling I’m having now isn’t what I expected.

“No,” I confidently say. I lean down and kiss the corner of Adeline’s mouth. She smiles against me. “I don’t. I only regret the time I’ve lost in moving on from my past.” I feather my mouth above hers, allowing my breath to dance against her heated skin.

“What about now?” she asks. “How do you feel now, here with me?”

I grin, gripping the back of her head tighter. “I like where I am right now.” I kiss her. “No regrets.”

It’s the truth.

I don’t expand on the Calista conversation for much longer. I pull away from Adeline far enough to let my head fall back on the pillow. It’s strange yet surprising to feel a weight lift from my chest.

There are parts of my past I’m still keeping from Adeline, especially the ones about Archer, but the load doesn’t feel asheavy now. Talking about my relationship with Calista feels like a weight has been lifted off me.

“Didn’t you say you have breakfast with your brothers?” Adeline asks, threading her fingers through my hair.

The gesture is small and insignificant, but it heals a part of my soul I didn’t know was broken. It’s intimate and personal. A silent message I’m not even certain she knows she’s sending.

“I do.” Though I’m tempted to text Lennon and Jude to say I won’t be able to make it today. I never want to leave.

I also don’t want to leave Adeline here alone. I doubt Soren and his men know Adeline is staying here with me, but I don’t want to take any chances. If they tracked her down last night at Exodus, there’s no telling what they know. And I haven’t spoken to Archer yet about what happened. I’ve been with Adeline ever since last night, but I intend on calling him later and see if I can figure out what’s going on and what he knows.

I roll onto my side and face Adeline. “I can always cancel.”

“No.” She shakes her head, a small smile growing on her pretty mouth. “I don’t want you to back out because of me.”

My stomach dips. “Did you have any plans for today?”

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