Page 35 of Billionaire Unforgettable: Tanner

He sounded genuinely remorseful, and as much as I’d hurt back then, I didn’t want Tanner to beat himself up. “It was a long time ago, Tanner. You’ve apologized, and we’ve both moved on with our lives. I don’t think anyone goes through life without making some mistakes, and it was a crazy time for you.”

“It’s hard to forget that I wasn’t there for you, and you sacrificed a lot for me,” he said grumpily. “I always knew I hadyour support, but I never supported you and what you wanted. Hell, I didn’t even listen to you.”

I could feel his remorse, and I hated it.

What he’d done to me was eating at him, and there was no reason for that anymore.

“It wasn’t always that way,” I said quietly. “You were a good man, Tanner. I think anyone could get lost in the kind of success KTD had so quickly.”

Deep inside, I really wanted to believe he was the amazing man I’d fallen in love with at one time. After all, Ihadseen more of that man during our long relationship than I had the business obsessed Tanner.

“I was a dick. I made you promises I never kept. Think about the possibility of that partnership, Hannah. I can’t change the past, but I’d like to make up for it by helping you reach your goals here in Montana.”

Is that what that offer was all about?

Did he feel guilty about not supporting my career so many years ago?

That seemed pretty pointless since I went on to become successful beyond my wildest dreams in Seattle.

Tanner had never held me back.

I’d done that to myself.

I shook my head. “You don’t need to do that. We haven’t even seen each other in over seven years, and I did end up in a successful business. We’re basically strangers now.”

He caught my gaze, and the look in his eyes was so intense that a shiver ran down my spine.

“You’ll never be a stranger to me, Hannah,” he said huskily before he stood and started taking the dishes to the kitchen.

He didn’t explain that comment or add any details.

In fact, he didn’t say another word about it as we cleaned up the kitchen together.

Tanner

“How did it go with Hannah?” Devon asked the next morning.

Kaleb and Devon were in my office in Billings.

We’d just finished going over some possible acquisitions.

This Monday morning meeting had become habit for all of us. It helped us center on our goals for the week.

For some reason, we changed up whose office the meeting took place in every week, even though all our offices were similar.

Hannah had left my house soon after we’d cleaned up last night, using the excuse that she usually met her mom early for coffee in the morning before Sweet Mornings opened.

“She tolerated me yesterday. We rode the trails, and we had dinner at my place,” I said, my mind still going over the way she’d rejected my offer to help her reach her career goals here in Montana.

I knew that her saying that she’d think about it was her way of politely telling me to fuck off.

“You obviously don’t think she’s forgiven you,” Kaleb said drily.

“She’s not going to forgive him that quickly,” Devon mused. “She needs to learn to trust him first. Trust takes time.”

“She doesn’t trust me,” I said unhappily.

Rationally, I knew I couldn’t regain Hannah’s trust overnight, but I fucking hated the way she looked at me sometimes like she couldn’t figure out my motives.

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