Page 19 of The Promise
I’m just coming to realise that all my resolve to take this slowly, to have him prove to me that he can be trusted before doing all this again, has gone when he steps back from me. His hands go into his hair and he looks at me with a fraught expression on hisface.
“I’m sorry,” he says, almost begging. “I just had to kissyou.”
“It’s okay,” I say, but it gives him the wrong idea. His eyes come back to life and he steps forwardagain.
I put my hand on his chest to stop him. Now I don’t have contact with him, I can think straight. I shake myhead.
“I’m so sorry, Addison. I swear I never meant to hurtyou.”
“I know,” I say, because I do believe he’s sorry. I just need to know it’s not going to happen again, especially now I have more than just me to worryabout.
We put the brownies in the oven and Blake helps me wash up before I makehim a milkshake in each flavour totaste.
Once the buzzer goes off, we take the warm brownies and our milkshakes out to the seating area and spend the next hour chatting and eating. The tension between us is unbelievable but Blake behaves, much to mydisappointment.
When the time comes for him to leave, we stand at the backdoor to the building, awkwardly looking at each other, both unsure how to end theevening.
“Thank you for giving me a secondchance.”
“The jury’s still out as to whether you deserve it ornot.”
“Ouch,” he says, bringing his hand up to his heart. “But I deserve that. I don’t know how to prove to you how sorry I am and how much you mean to me. All that’s over. I’ve told them I’mdone.”
“Just give me time, Blake, and beyourself.”
“What if I don’t want to give youtime?”
“You haveto.”
He stares at me for a beat before lifting his hand to my cheek. “Okay, baker girl, just come back to me,” he says sadly. I swallow down the emotion his words dragup.
“I will if I can.” I step forward and reach up to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight.”
After cleaning up both the bakery and my kitchen, I get myself in bed, but I can’t sleep. I toss and turn for hours, arguing with myself as to whether I’ve done the right thing by keeping my pregnancysecret.
