Page 37 of Give Me a Reason

“Were you always this annoying?” Her melodic laughter liquefied his insides.

“Always.” His voice was huskier than he would’ve liked.

“Besides, I’m not quite an ajumma yet,” she said with a mischievous smile. “Give me a few more years to settle into my auntie era. I think I’ll quite enjoy it when I get there. Ajummas are so wonderfully pushy, taking what they want without apology.”

“Is that what you want?” He cocked his head and watched her. Anne had never been one to take, always the first to give. What exactly did she look forward to taking without apology? Would she ever be tempted to take him? As ridiculous as his musings were, heat nevertheless curled low in his stomach.

“To be pushy?” She scrunched her lips to the side. “Maybe. It might be a refreshing change.”

His unwelcome lust was doused by an even more unwelcome thought. He couldn’t forget how wan and withdrawn she’d looked at the elementary school. He’d felt a brief spike of triumph at the time—spiteful, shameful—but not anymore. Her pale, exhausted face haunted his thoughts with increasing frequency. And he was driving himself out of his mind, wondering what happened to her.

“Were you pushed around in Korea?” His protective instinct took over, and he couldn’t even remember why it wasn’t any of his business. “Did someone force you to quit acting? Is that why you came back?”

“No…” Her eyes widened at his tightly coiled anger. “No one…”

“Shit. I’m sorry.” He knelt by her seat and looked up at her, gripping the arm of her chair. “It’s none of my business.”

“No, don’t apologize.” She put her hand on his bare forearm.

Even as heat flared across his body, he made himself go very still so she wouldn’t stop touching him. But he didn’t know how much more he could take without touching her in return.

Oblivious to the effect she had on him, Anne continued. “There were people wanting to take advantage of me, but there were people who supported me as well. More than anything, I’m the one who pushed myself to succeed.

“It was exciting at first, but I got swept up in the whirlwind and lost control over my own life. I let things happento meinstead of choosing what I wanted. I watched my agency slip away and couldn’t do anything about it. I got lost.” She shook her head. “Sorry, that doesn’t even make sense.”

“It makes perfect sense.” He unthinkingly covered her hand with his own.

“Thank you.” She sighed, her gaze dropping to their hands. “I came home to figure out whatIwant for myself, while I still have something left to give. I decided it was time to choose my own path.”

“You did the right thing,” he said gruffly. Anne, in her innate strength and wisdom, decided it was time to step away. Shechoseto come home. No one used her or hurt her. He expelled a shaky breath, limp with relief.

But what now? Was there a place for him in her new future?What the fuck?Alarmed at the trajectory of his thoughts, he scrambled to his feet and searched for something to distract himself. And to distract her from noticing that he needed to distract himself.

He glanced around the living room with wild eyes, buteveryone else was engrossed in conversation, sitting in small clusters. Tessa showed Bethany something on her phone, and the two of them dissolved into laughter. Joe, Coraline, and Anne’s dad chatted next to the fireplace. Frederick was almost desperate enough to consider joining them.

Almost.But he didn’t want to deal with more cheesy winks from his misguided friend, and something about Jonathan Lee felt off to him. Anne had spoken very little about her family when they were together, except how hard it was to lose her mother. Besides, they were often too busy to talk. They were too absorbed in each other—heart, mind, and body. He held back a groan. Those memories were not the kind of distraction he needed.

“So you know how to change a flat now?” Frederick grabbed onto a thread of their conversation.

“No.” She blinked at the sudden change of subject, but then her expression turned morose. “I still have no idea. It makes total sense when I’m watching the tutorial, but the moment I stand in front of the car, my mind goes blank. It’s like I have a mental block or something.”

“Come on.” He cocked his head to the side.What do you think you’re doing, Nam?“Let’s go.”

“Go?” she asked, even as she stood to follow him. Only Anne’s aunt spared them a glance as they left the living room. “Go where?”

“Outside.” He grabbed his jacket off the coatrack by the front door and turned to face her. He must be out of his mind. But hadn’t he already established that was the norm when he was near Anne? “It’s time you learned how to change a tire.”

“You’re going to teach me?” She smiled with such unadulterated glee that his heart did a clumsy somersault. “Right now?”

“Yes and yes.” He stepped out the door and shrugged into his jacket.Wow.He really was doing this. “You coming?”

“Yes, of course.” She snatched a cardigan off the rack and practically ran past him across the street where her white sedan was parked.

“Do you remember where your spare tire is?” he shouted after her. He deliberately slowed his pace so he wouldn’t bound after her like a golden retriever, but he still reached her side before she could answer.

“I don’t know.” She frowned, patting down her pants, then peeking into her pockets. “It’s not in here…”

“Yeah, go on.” He rolled his eyes, then watched her open the trunk and lift its floor.

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