Page 134 of Hound Dog
“Youwere givingmespace?” With a snort, I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, okay. Way to rewrite history.”
“Speaking of writing, I added to my bucket list.”
My brow arched. “Good for you,” I said, monotone.
I narrowed my eyes at him as he shuffled the two cups around in order to pull a piece of paper out of his pocket, nearly spilling some coffee in the process. “Um, can I come in? Just for a minute?”
My heart hammered against my ribs. Every piece of me wanted to pull him inside and crush my mouth to his. Walking away had been the hardest thing. But it had also been the right thing.
So, what the hell was he doing here?
Hope reared its head and my stupid, gullible heart fluttered with aching desire for a man who had claimed he could never commit.
I stepped to the side so he could come in. “Only for a minute. And only because I don’t want Freckles slipping out.”
A triumphant smirk curved his mouth as I shut the door behind him. “A minute is all I need.”
He handed me one of the coffees as I set Freckles back down on the floor. She was giddy to see Finn. Not only was her tail wagging, but her whole body was wiggling as she jumped up on his leg to get his attention.
Traitor.
Finn grinned and bent to give her some love. “Hey there, little lady,” he said quietly.
Seeing him love on my dog hit a nerve. A reminder of what I desperately wanted with him. What he claimed he could never give.
“Your minute is ticking,” I said, taking a sip of the coffee.
He stood back up and with a flick of his wrist, he shook out the folded paper. “Have a look?”
I took the piece of paper from him, my breath sticking to my throat like toffee as I saw the items added at the bottom of his list.
Win Haylee Rogers back with a grand gesture
Marry Haylee Rogers
Trade in my Hound Dog ways to be the lovesick puppy I am
I laughed at that last one, but quickly covered my smile with my hand.
Damn him.
When I glanced up at Finn, he was standing there, now holding Freckles as she licked his chin.
I wanted to be with Finn. So badly. “Why should I believe you’re ready to commitnowwhen you weren’t before?”
“Because my head’s no longer in my ass?”
It was normally the kind of joke I would chuckle at. But it wasn’t so funny this time. And it wasn’t a real answer.
He blew out a breath and the normal jokey Finn I’d come to know so well vanished with that exhale. “Okay, I’m not really good at this vulnerable thing,” he cleared his throat. “ButI’ve been such a mess over this stuff with my dad. I meanfivefailed marriages is a lot. I just got it into my head that between him not being able to stay married and my mom never trying again, that I was genetically doomed to not be a good partner to anyone.”
He paused, and I noticed the trembling of his fingers and the shimmer of moisture in his eyes.
I sucked in a sharp breath. He hadn’t told me that about his dad—that he had five failed marriages. No wonder he panicked.
My heart splintered with his admission, and I blinked back the burning sensation behind my eyes. “Loving someone isn’t genetic.”
He chuckled and gave a hard sniff. “I know that now. My mom knocked some sense into me.”
