Page 128 of Give Me Redemption

He chuckles. “I didn’t say that.”

“Basically,” I reply.

“I’m just saying you need to remember to get out more. Go on a few dates with some shitty men until you find the right one.”

Talking about the right one has my chest throbbing. I thought he might call me. I don’t know why, though.

“I have no desire to go through this crap again,” I tell him.

“You can’t be scared to get your heart broken. That shit is going to happen sometimes.”

“Not if I don’t let it.”

His eyes skip past me, and he narrows them. “The case is over,” he says.

“Yeah, so?”

“So who’s to say you and Jace can’t be together now?”

“I’m pretty sure Jace says that. I screwed over his brother. I lied to him for months. I tricked him, remember?”

“If he came in here right now, what would you do?”

My eyes tighten. “I’d tell him I was sorry. I’d tell him that I never meant to hurt him, and I wish things could have been different.”

“How about you do that then?” he says, sliding off of his stool.

“Where are you going?” I twist and my heart jumps into my throat. Monroe pats me on the shoulder and walks away. Jace nods at him before taking his seat.

I don’t know what to do, so I bite my lip and try to breathe correctly.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey,” I reply.

His eyes dance over my face, and then he says, “I’m Jace.”

My heart smiles with happy tears in her eyes. There’s a lump in my throat, and my hands begin to shake as I look down for a moment.

“Harlow,” I reply. “But most people call me Dalton.”

He nods, signaling for Chris. “I’ll take what she’s having,” he says. Chris looks confused, and I want to laugh, but decide now isn’t the time to inform Jace on all the people who helped me lie to him.

“So, what do you do for a living, Dalton?”

“FBI agent.”

“Really? That’s pretty badass.”

I shrug. “It’s all right.”

He smirks. “It’s all right,” he mocks me. And I’m not sure how to take this conversation. My heart is on the edge of a cliff, wondering if it should jump and risk the fall or stay put and not get hurt.

Chris hands him his beer. Jace takes a sip and runs his tongue over his top lip. A hundred other girls could get this guy’s attention. How come I’m the one? How come after I’ve hurt him the most, he wants to be here with me?

He watches me as I watch him. He seems way calmer than I am.

Like he’s already decided how this is going to go.

---