Page 131 of Right Number, Wrong Man
“You can call me whatever you want. I deserve it.” A wry smile tugs on my lips. “I should’ve?—”
“Because I love you too!” she shouts in my face.
My ears ring. Am I hallucinating from blood loss?
I point at her. “You? Love?” I point at myself. “Me?” I blink, my brain function suddenly reduced to caveman level intelligence. “Youloveme?”
“You really don’t get it, do you?” She runs her hands through her hair, tugging at the roots as she groans. “I broke up with your alter ego Jax because I started having feelings foryou, you bull-headed idiot!”
My knees sag and I choke on ragged breaths.
Hailey didn’t meet somebody else.
She fell forme.
I was jealous of…myself?
“Jax is like a wet dream come true. He’s this-this… perfect lover! And then when you and I buried our grudges, I realized you were sweeter than I ever knew.Youare everything I ever wantedMiketo be. Caring, protective, attentive. Hell, you’re even funny when you let your guard down.”
I put my bloody hand to my chest like that’s gonna hold it together.
She wantsme?
“I overlooked the right man in front of me because of a stupid prank and a lie when you took the blame for your brother.” Hailey shakes her head. “And now you’re ruining everything again with more lies!”
My thoughts whirl. I can barely form a sentence.
“Give me another chance, please. I’m still Colt, but I’m Jax, too. All those things he did to you—the thingsIdid to you—it felt so right. I want that for the rest of my days, but not just the sex. I want to make alifewith you.”
Fresh tears shimmer in her eyes. “I don’t know if I can trust you again.”
My heart dips.
I had one real shot with the love of my life and I blew it.
I reach for Hailey. She flinches as my bloody fingers twine with hers, but she doesn’t pull away.
“I’ll do anything to make it up to you,” I plead. “If you want me to grovel, I’ll grovel. If you want me to die for what I’ve done, I’ll die. Just talk to me. Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to leave Sunridge Hollow. Re-enlist, move, go to hell. I don’t care. Just leave.”
It feels like she reached into my chest and tore my heart clean out. “Please, don’t do this. There must be another way?—”
A shrill scream comes from along the path.
The old lady from the reception stands there, an ancient brick-style cell in hand. “I heard a gunshotand—Oh my good Lord, you’re bleeding! I’ll call the police!” Shaking, she presses the keys.
“Nah, it’s alright,” I say, forcing myself to smile. “We don’t need the cops cause there ain’t no crime. My revolver accidentally went off when I was showing it to my friend here. It was my own fault.”
My eyes meet Hailey’s and I see a glimmer of relief in them. I’d never tell anybody what really happened and get her in trouble.
The old lady’s thin brows rise. “An ambulance then?”
I nod reluctantly. “Guess so.”
Hailey uses the interruption to pull her hand from mine. Before I can react, she grabs her clutch and sprints down the trail toward the hotel. I try to run after her, but the world spins. Fast.
My knees buckle and I’m on the ground again.
