Page 60 of Mine For The Winter

“No.”

His smile didn’t waver. “Why did I know you were going to say that?”

“Why did I know you were going to try to save me all over again?” she countered.

“I’m not trying to save you. I’m trying to help your dad. I like him, he’s in pain, and I can do something about it.”

“Because you have money and we don’t.” There was a waver to her voice he didn’t like.

“No. Because that’s just luck, Kel. I got into a business in the right place at the right time and made a lot of money. And you stayed here, doing the right thing, and you didn’t.”

Her lips parted, her breath escaping in a soft cloud of vapor.

“Remember how you wanted to travel the world and become a millionaire?” he asked her.

“Yeah, well life had other plans.” She lifted a brow. “I had to stay here. First for my dad, then for Lyle.” Another cloud of breath. “And then for Cole.”

“Because you were always the steadfast one. The loyal one. The one who stayed while the rest of us fled. And it fucking sucks that you had to do that while the rest of us thrived.”

“Don’t worry, Lyle isn’t thriving.” She lifted a brow.

“Have you heard from him recently?” he asked, trying to ignore the jealousy twisting his gut.

“Only when he remembers he has a son. Which is about twice a year and never on his birthday or Christmas.” She ran the tip of her tongue along her lip, and he watched silently. “I guess I’m just easy to run away from.”

“Kel…” He reached out, touched her jaw with the tip of his fingers, fully expecting her to pull back. But she didn’t. Just stared at him like he had all the answers. “Walking away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

She swallowed but still said nothing. He’d never seen her look so vulnerable. Not even last night when she was on his lap and he was as hard as a fucking iron bar.

He ran his thumb along her soft bottom lip and still she didn’t pull back. It was like a game. That one where you put all those things on the donkey, pushing your luck until finally it bucked.

He didn’t want to lose this time.

“I was a fucking idiot for walking away,” he told her, his gaze locked on hers.

“You asked me to go with you.” Her voice was low. He felt her lip tremble beneath his touch.

“I knew you wouldn’t come. I wanted an excuse to hate you.” That was the truth. “You’re too good a person to leave somebody who needs you.” And so many people needed her back then. Her dad, Lyle. The baby growing inside of her. The one who’d grown up to be the kid sitting inside the house, doing his homework.

“You hated me?” she asked. There was hurt in her voice.

“No. I just wanted to. It would have been easier to walk away like that. Easier to get on with my life. But I could never hate you. You were too good to hate.”

“I’m not a good person.” She shook her head.

He tipped her chin up, his eyes darkening as he stared down at her. “Stop saying that. You’re the best person I know.”

Disbelief washed over her. This was what he’d hated. The way she could never give herself credit. “Kelly, you’ve spent the last twelve years taking care of your dad, of his business. Raising your kid alone. You’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met and if you keep insisting you’re not, I’m gonna get pissed.”

“I cried every night after you left,” she said, and it felt like somebody was squeezing his gut. “I’d hide away so Lyle couldn’t see me. Not that he was here much anyway. I was so scared about everything. About the baby, about living in Winterville without you here. I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep going.”

Kris winced. He didn’t want to think of her crying. Didn’t want any of this.

“I hate that,” he said, his voice soft. “I hate that I made you cry. Hate that I hurt you.” He slid his palm around her cheek. She leaned into it, her breath warm against his palm. And somewhere in his head there was a voice telling him that getting this close was a bad idea.

But he couldn’t resist her any longer. Couldn’t ignore the way his blood heated up just from looking at her. The way his body pulsed in time to hers whenever they were close. This was why he’d walked away. She’d chosen somebody else and he knew he couldn’t stay in the same town as her.

Not when her heart always sang to his.

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