Page 112 of Until It Was Real

“It’s fine.”

I may have been an idiot before but I can recognize when a woman is done with a conversation. We fall into silence. I can feel the nervous energy emitting from her. She’s not the only one who’s nervous. Tonight’s conversation is the most important one of my life. I can’t fuck it up.

Good thing the trip to the resort isn’t long, since the tension in the vehicle grows as I drive. By the time I park, I’m biting my tongue to stop myself from blurting out how much I love her and what an idiot I am.

“Wait for me,” I insist.

“I’m waiting but not because you ordered me to.” I lift an eyebrow. She motions to her dress. “I’m afraid I’ll get arrested for indecent exposure if I try to climb out of your oversized SUV without help.”

“Don’t be silly.” I smirk. “No one gets arrested for indecent exposure on the island.”

I jump out and round the vehicle to open her door.

“They don’t?”

I have to fight to remember what we were discussing. With my hands on her body, my mind goes blank. I set her down and clear my throat.

“Ask Miles some time about how he decided to surf in the nude.”

She giggles. “Why am I not surprised?”

I offer her my arm, and to my relief, she takes it. We walk into the restaurant and she gasps.

“Holy smugglers in hell. This is fancy.”

Did I screw up? Is it too fancy? Is she intimidated? Does she not like the place?

I glance down at her and her green eyes are wide with wonder. I blow out a breath. I need to stop second guessing myself. Everything is going to work out. It has to. I love her.

The host shows us to our table. It’s in an alcove with views of the ocean.

Dakota opens her menu and lifts it in front of her face. Oh no, she doesn’t. She’s not hiding from me. Not tonight. I snatch the menu from her.

“Hey!”

“I need to explain why I was an asshole when I caught you…” I wave my hand. “You know.”

“Injecting myself with insulin,” she supplies.

I nod. “Yes, injecting yourself with insulin.”

“What I don’t understand is how you jumped to the conclusion that I’m a drug addict? Wouldn’t there have been other signs I’m an addict?”

I frown. This is the perfect lead-in to explain why I reacted the way I did. I hate to admit my faults but here we are.

“I didn’t see the signs before.”

Her brow wrinkles. “You’ve dated a drug addict before?”

“No. Not a drug addict.” I inhale a deep breath and dive in. “I didn’t see the signs before when someone lied to me and misled me.” She gasps but I keep going. “I’ve had a hard time trusting anyone since then.”

“Thus, Mr. Controlling.”

I nod. “Exactly. If I’m in control, people won’t let me down.”

She reaches across the table to clasp my hand. “Who let you down?”

“My dad.”

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