Page 38 of Wild Hearts

It had taken me a long time to recover after he left. I built a life I was proud of, and I couldn't fall back into an easy relationship that could end on a whim.

There was a voice in the back of my head that said he'd changed, that he didn't have a reason to leave. But there was always the chance that he'd decide to move to Virginia with Dakota. His daughter's happiness would always come first. I didn't blame him for that, but I could be smart about how much rein I gave my heart.

Walker had never been a good bet.

9

WALKER

It felt great to hold Addison's hand as we lapped the rink. This is how we'd spent our Friday nights. We'd skate until we were exhausted, then grab some hot chocolate, and I'd drive her home. Then we'd kiss until our lips were swollen.

Back then, I couldn't believe I'd caught her attention. She was so far out of my league. Somewhere along the way, we'd fallen in love. It might have been a young-love kind of thing, but it felt real, and I was getting flashes of those feelings now.

The problem was that Addison wouldn't even consider talking to me about our breakup much less consider giving us another try. I'd screwed up, and there was no hope of moving past it. Even if I enjoyed the feel of her hand in mine.

Each time she slipped, I steadied her until she was gliding with ease over the ice again. I liked being there for her, and I enjoyed spending time with her.

I was worried I'd only have time for Dakota, but she was a teenager, and she wanted time to herself. I could date if I wanted to, and no one else interested me as much as Addison.

She was the one woman I'd fallen in love with and the one Icouldn't stop thinking of. "Did you know that I kept your picture with me all the time, and I'd get it out and stare at it when I was scared?"

Addison sucked in a breath. "You can't say things like that to me."

We separated for a few seconds to skate around a child who'd fallen and the mother who had stopped to help.

"Why not?" We weren't holding hands any longer, so it felt like there was this distance between us.

Her forehead wrinkled. "We had our chance, and it's over. There's no point in rehashing everything."

I slowed, pulling her over to the wall. We were both short of breath from the exertion of skating. "What if we moved forward? Our last relationship was when we were kids. We're adults now."

"You can't erase everything that happened," she said with a slight edge to her voice.

My stomach sunk at her tone. "I wanted to talk about what happened, but you refused. I want to respect your wishes, but I don't see how we could move on, even as friends, and not go there."

Addison glanced away. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?" She hadn't said she wasn't interested, so that was a good sign.

She winced. "You hurt me. I don't want to go through that again."

My heart squeezed at her admission. "Things are different now. I'm living here. I'm building a life in Telluride."

"What happens if Dakota is unhappy and wants to move home?" Addison's gaze was on my face.

I sighed because I hadn't thought about that.

"You'd put her first. As you should."

"You're not giving this a fair shot."

Addison just gave me a look, the one that said I didn'tdeserve one. "I don't think it's a good idea. I'm Dakota's social worker."

"Dakota encouraged me to talk to you, to make things right. I told her you weren't interested. But what would social-worker Addison recommend to a client? Would you tell someone to sweep their past under the rug, or would you tell them to talk about it?"

Her jaw set. "You're not being fair."

I grinned. "Am I getting somewhere?"

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