Page 77

Riley fidgetedat the foot of the stairs in front of Grace’s house. He’d been standing there in the dark for at least an hour. No one had come or gone from the residence yet, but he was sure if anyone knew he was there, they’d be sending him off.

He fumbled with his hands and stared at her front door as if that would be enough to get her to come out. He hadn’t had the guts to knock yet. Not after what he’d said to her at the country club. But he knew he needed to apologize. He needed her to know what was in his heart, no matter how hard it was to say.

Swallowing hard, Riley pushed down all the feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing. Bud might be well-adjusted now, but he didn’t appear to be as happy as he might have been.

Riley ran a ragged hand through his hair and climbed the stairs, his heart heavy. He rapped his knuckles on the door, then stood back. If Zeke was the one who answered, there was a good chance a shotgun would be pointed at his chest just like last time.

The wait stretched on for what felt like an eternity and he nearly headed back to his motorcycle when it finally opened. Faye stared at him with surprise. Her eyes darted out along the property before being brought around to his face. “Riley, what are you doing here?”

“Is Grace home?”

Her face fell. “I’m sorry. She’s not. Grace went on a date—”

Light flashed against the house and the sound of tires on gravel reached his ears. He turned, shading his eyes from the headlights, then turned back to Faye. “Looks like she’s back.”

Grace climbed down from the driver’s side door and shut it firmly. She froze, probably when she noticed him on the porch. But then she moved into action and hurried up the steps. Her eyes met his, then landed on Faye. Before she could ask her sister anything, Faye disappeared inside.

A sigh burst from Grace’s chest and she folded her arms. “What do you want, Riley?”

So many thoughts, so many words filled his head. How was he supposed to make her believe him? Riley’s fist bounced against his leg and he looked away, unable to bring himself to say what he knew he needed to while looking into her eyes. “Can we talk?”

She cocked her head and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. For some reason, her silence made it that much more difficult.

He cleared his throat and lifted his gaze to meet hers. “I’m sorry,” he croaked.

“You’re sorry,” she repeated.

Riley nodded. “I’m sorry about how we ended things. I should have—” He clamped his mouth shut and heat crawled up his neck. “I’m in love with you, Grace. I want you back. I want a second chance to show you I can be better.”

She stared at him until time had slowed and all he could hear was his blood roaring in his ears. The moment of truth wasn’t coming fast enough.

“Please say something,” he said.

Grace’s brows creased. That wasn’t a good sign. Even when she was worried or upset, she was beautiful. He’d missed being able to talk to her. But more than that, he missed having her in his arms.

“No.”

All of his insides dropped, and the blood drained from his face. “What?” he asked hoarsely.

She pressed her lips together in a tight line. “I can’t date you. Not right now.” Emotion filled her eyes and a tear slipped down her cheek. She placed her hand against his cheek, allowing him to lean into it. “I can’t because I love you, too, and our relationship can’t be the thing that stands in your way of confronting your demons.” She took in a shuddering breath. “You need to work on yourself before we can see where things might go together.” A quiet sob escaped her lips and she dropped her hand. “I hope you can understand.”

His first instinct was to let the fire of fury that came to life within him loose. He wanted to thrash and yell, acuse her of treating him differently because of who he was.

But Bud’s words came back to him.

What would you do to win her over again? What was it that held her back?

Anything. He’d do whatever it took to start over.

He swallowed hard, extinguishing the fire monster that lived in his chest. Nodding because he didn’t trust his voice, he reached for her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Okay,” he whispered.

28

Grace

Two weeks later

Grace hurried down the stairs, pulling her hoodie down over her head. She skidded to a stop in the kitchen and grabbed a piece of bread before tossing it in the toaster. Riley was going to be here any second, and she needed to be ready or they were going to miss the sunrise.