Page 9 of Summer Redemption

I hate it.

I’m torn. Part of me wants to run toward her and wrap her in my arms until she’s willing to hear all my whispered apologies. If those don’t work, I’ll scream at the top of my lungs to make sure she’s heard the remorse and how much I wish I could do it all over again.

The other part of me wishes a hole would open up in the barn and swallow me whole. Then I wouldn’t have to face what a little shit I was.

And maybe still am.

If you were to ask my family, they would say I haven’t changed at all. I’ve spent a lot of time making sure they feel that way. It’s easier.

Fighting against the notions people have of you isn’t easy. I didn’t see the need to do it, but now I’m regretting that as well.

The longer I look at Sunshine and the way her green eyes are hard and ruthless, the more I feel like a complete and utter pieceof shit. I won’t deny that I’ve thought about her over the years, more than I’m willing to admit even to myself, but having her standing in front of me makes everything impossible to ignore.

The regret.

The self-recrimination.

The wish that I could go back in time and not be mean to her when she never did anything to me beyond existing. She didn’t even know how tempting she was. Fuck, I made sure she didn’t know.

About the last thing I needed, as my brother became a shell of the guy I knew, was a girl who could have stolen my heart and smashed it.

“You know each other?” Fletcher’s voice snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts and pulls my gaze away from the woman in front of me.

“We were in the same graduating class,” Sunshine’s voice is downright fucking frigid. Artic. Subzero.

I’ve never heard her voice like that before, and it makes me shiver. Sunshine was always so sweet, the epitome of her name with the way she’d smile at people, even though more than a few people followed my lead and were assholes to her. She never made waves while keeping her head down and focusing on school.

I should have learned from her instead of making fun of her.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Yeah,” I croak and clear my throat to try and not sound like I’ve spent the last eight years smoking out on the ranch. “Sunshine was the smartest person in our class,” I try to makethe words light, but from the way she arches an eyebrow in challenge, she’s not buying it.

It’s not like I can blame her.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath to try and get my heart under control. It should not be beating as hard as it is in my chest.

“Okay,” Fletcher sounds unsure, but when I look at him, Eden is pulling him back toward the door of the barn. “We’ll leave you to it then.”

And then he’s gone. Not only is he gone, but Eden and Macklin have made themselves scarce as well. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they’re aware that I’m about to fall to my knees and beg for this woman’s forgiveness.

“Uh,” I start, unsure of what to say or where to begin, “what are you doing here?”

Her eyes narrow and her lips press into a thin line. It’s a shame because my woman has the best pair of plump, pouty lips that I’ve ever seen. I swear they’ve gotten fuller in the last eight years. Is that even possible?

Fuck. My woman? No. That can’t be right. Can it?

“I’m just taking a tour,” Sunshine’s voice borders on a sneer. “I just moved back after finishing school. I’m joining Dr. Harris at the vet clinic and he’s having me take over home visits and large animal care. Since Limitless is on his list, I’m here to meet the horses and get a feel for things. That way if you need to call me, I’m not flying blind,” she spits the last words as if I would like nothing more than to have her flying blind.

I don’t.

The fact that she’s here right now feels like a gift. Or maybe it’s just a chance to fix what I fucked up all those years ago.

When I open my mouth to apologize, to just let all my regrets out at her feet, the look she shoots me is so sharp it could cut glass. The words die on my tongue and all I can do is nod.

“Of course,” I try to make my voice light, but it sounds weak and a squeaky, “I should have known that you set out to do exactly what you said that you’d do.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” She snipes, “I never told you what I was planning on doing with my life. We weren’t friends,” her lip curls with her words and I’m reminded of a wild animal warning you to step back instead of moving closer.

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