Page 96 of Tempted By the Alpha Outlaw

I glance at her, caught off guard by the shift in conversation. “Peaches…”

She shrugs, twirling the metal. “I had to learn how to trust again. Had to learn how to believe that not everyone was out to hurt me.” She turns her gaze to me. “People can change, Magnolia. Not all of them. But some.”

The words settle deep in my chest, holding my heart in a fist.

I shake my head. “That’s not the same.”

Peaches hums, tilting her head. “No?”

I clench my jaw. “You didn’t choose what happened to you. I did. I walked straight into this, Peaches. I let myself believe in him.”

“And?” Peaches tosses the piece of metal onto the porch floor with a clink. “That mean you were wrong?”

I don’t know.

I squeeze my eyes shut. “He lied to me,” I whisper.

“He did.”

I let out a breath, opening my eyes again. “Then why does it still hurt like this?”

Peaches sighs, resting her chin on her knee. “Because you love him.”

The words knock the air out of my lungs.

I stare down at the mess in my lap, my heart thudding unevenly. “It shouldn’t be that simple.”

“It’s not,” Peaches agrees. “Love’s never simple. But it’s also not somethin’ you can just switch off because it’s inconvenient. Or at least…that’s what all the novels say. I guess it could be bullshit.”

I huff out a laugh.

She grins, leaning back on her hands. “I mean, in books, this is usually the part where the heroine runs off to some secluded cottage to cry about it for a few chapters before finally realizing she can’t breathe without him.”

I roll my eyes, rubbing at my temple. “Yeah, well, this isn’t a book, Peaches.”

She hums, unbothered. “Maybe not. But you know what is in every good romance novel?” She lifts a finger, counting off. “A tragic misunderstanding, a whole lotta longing, and at least one dramatic public declaration of love.”

I scoff. “That’s not happening.”

Peaches shrugs, utterly unfazed. “That’s what they all say.”

I shake my head, pressing my lips together. “You really believe in this, don’t you?”

She tilts her head, considering. “I believe in second chances. And I believe that love—real love—doesn’t just disappear because things get messy.” She gives me a sidelong look. “And I definitely believe that if Colt were the kind of hero in one of my books, he’d be halfway to his grand romantic gesture by now.”

I don’t answer.

Because the truth is, part of me wants to believe in that too.

But I don’t know if I can.

I shake my head, running my fingers over the jagged edges of the broken chimes. “It doesn’t matter.”

Peaches gives me a long look, then leans forward, resting her arms on her knees. “You keep sayin’ that like it’ll make it true.”

I don’t answer.

She exhales through her nose, rocking back slightly. “Look, Magnolia. You don’t owe him forgiveness. You don’t owe him anything.” Her voice is firm, but there’s no anger in it, no push to make me see things her way. Just quiet certainty. “But you do owe yourself honesty.”

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