Page 114 of Beautiful Broken Love

“Yeah, I wasn’t answering because I didn’t wanna talk to her,” I snapped and noticed her tense up a bit.

“Look,” Javier said, his voice lowering. “You know the last thing I wanted to do was blindside you, but she begged me to do this, Deke. I know how much you care about her, and that is theonlyreason I did not turn her away. Something tells me this needs to happen or you’ll regret it, so just hear her out.”

“Nah. It’s too late for all that.” I turned around, ready to storm out of the house, but Javier made his way around me and stopped me with a firm hand to the chest.

“Listen to me, Deke. You are reacting emotionally, and I completely understand why, but I refuse to let you do something that I know will only cause you suffering later. Iknow you, Deke. I know going out that door isn’t what your heart wants.”

“Javier,” I grumbled. “Get out of my way.”

“If you do not like what she has to sayafteryou hear her out, you can walk away and I won’t stop you again,” he went on, holding steady. “It is that simple. If you decide to walk, I will promise toneverinterfere with your relationships again. But right now, because I am your friend and because I care about what is best foryou, I really think you should stick around and listen.”

I looked down, and there was a mixture of shock and fear in Aleesa’s eyes as she stared at me.

“Dee, wha’ happen? Dee okay?” she asked in a soft whimper. Guilt ate me alive. She was so young. So innocent. She didn’t understand what was going on—this animosity taking over her own home.

“I’m okay, Aleesa.” I gripped her little chin and forced a smile. I had to calm down. I was scaring her.

I focused on Javier again. “I just do not want you to have any regrets,” he said.

I wanted to ask Davina if she regretted when she walked out the fucking door, but instead I exhaled and took a step back.

“Fine.”

Javier slipped his feet into athletic slides and hiked Aleesa higher up his hip. “I will take Aleesa for a walk, give you two a moment.”

“Thank you, Javier,” Davina said, and I hated that my heart betrayed me by beating faster at the sound of her voice.

When Javier left, it was just us in his oversize living room. I turned to face the woman who’d broken my heart, and she took a step toward me. She looked good, even in something as simple as jeans and a halter-top shirt. Curls dangled around her ears, the rest pulled up into a puffy bun, diamond studs in her ears.

Light poured through the blocky windows above, beaming down on her and making her look like a damn angel. It was becoming really hard to stay mad at her when she looked like that.

“Look, I know I’m the last person you want to see right now,” Davina said, and I loosely folded my arms, clinging to my guard. “I know that I hurt you, and I never should’ve walked away like I did at the lake. I was just scared, and I kept telling myself that you deserved better than me—which I still believe—but I wasn’t looking at the bigger picture. I was only focusing onmypain and what’d happened tome. I wasn’t thinking about a future, because I didn’t care about the future. I—I was stuck in the moment and only thinking about myself, and that wasn’t fair to you. I was so selfish, Deke. So damn selfish.” She took a few steps closer, making the space between us smaller. I could smell her now, vanilla and shea butter. Warm and familiar. “I just wanted to come to you, like you came to me all those times before, to tell you thatI’m sorryand that I’m here.”

I dropped my arms. “Oh, you’rehere? Now, after stomping on my heart and leaving it there to rot?”

“I know, I know, and I’m so sorry,” she pleaded, another inch closer. “You’re such a good guy, Deke. You’re so kind and respectful and hilarious, and Ilovethat about you. And with all the time that has passed since the lake, I realize just how much I miss you being in my life! I had time to think about everything the last few weeks, and it hit me—likereallyhit me—that I would not have made it through the end of that sad, selfish season of my life without you. I never would’ve pushed through. I would’ve willingly remained stuck. Yes, I had my family andmy best friend, but you checked on me every day. You made me smileevery single day. You put me first, even when you had other places to be and other things to do. You were there for me so many times, and I didn’t appreciate it in the moment ... and I guess I didn’t trust it or you because I didn’t know what you were after, but I see the truth now. I can see it just like I saw it in your eyes on that dock.”

She was right in front of me now, taking my hands in hers and holding them tight. Her eyes shimmered like she wanted to cry, and I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss those tears away as soon as they fell.

Still, I remained stubborn.

“You said you were in love with me, so I came here to let you know my truth.I love you, Deke Bishop,” she said with a breath of elation. “I’m in love with you, too, and I know it, because I can never get you out of my head. I crave your presence more every day, and believe me, my chest hurts, too, when I’m away from you. I’ve tried fighting that ache, but it’s impossible. I resisted for so long because I didn’t understand how it could be, you know? How I could love two men with one heart, even when the other is gone. I didn’t think it was possible or that I could feel so much with another man so quickly, but I felt it all and possibly even more with you.”

Those tears dripped down her cheeks, and I stared into her eyes for so long my vision grew blurry.

“So why did you run away?” I asked in a whisper. “Why did you leave me like that?”

“Because I was stupid,” she croaked. “I was so stupid and so wrong, and I promise you I willneverrun away again.”

I pulled my hand away, and a wave of defeat washed over her until I cupped my ear and leaned down so her lips were next to it. “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that?”

She bubbled out a sad laugh, and I couldn’t help cracking a smile.

“I said I was stupid and I was wrong!” she yelled in my ear, giggling. “I’ll never run from what we have again.”

I chuckled, cupping her face in my hands and planting a drawn-out kiss on her forehead.

“I know you’re mad at me. And even though I’m here, I’ll understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore,” she said softly, studying my face when I pulled away.

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