Page 47 of The Careless Alpha

"I want to make it right," he said desperately.

"You can't make this right, Marshall." I was amazed at how steady my voice sounded, how strong I felt despite the emotional chaos raging inside me. "You can't undo what you did. You can't give me back the months I spent believing the person I loved most in the world thought I was worthless."

"I never thought you were worthless," he said, his voice cracking. "I thought you were too good for me. I was trying to protect you, to wait until you were ready. I was saving myself for you—my real commitment, my devotion. I thought you deserved better than someone who couldn't even remember—"

"Stop." I couldn't bear to hear him talk about that night, about the memory he'd lost and the way it had destroyed us both. "Just stop."

The diner had gone completely silent. Even the usual sounds of the kitchen had ceased, as if the entire world was holding its breath. I could feel the weight of everyone's attention, their protective concern, their readiness to defend me.

"I'll go," Marshall said finally, his voice barely audible. "But I'm not leaving town. I'm not giving up on us."

"There is no us," I said, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "There hasn't been for a long time."

"Please," he said, and the desperation in his voice almost broke my resolve. "Just five minutes. Five minutes to explain, to apologize properly. That's all I'm asking."

I looked into his amber eyes and saw the boy I'd loved for five years, the man who'd held me so tenderly one night and then thrown me away the next morning. The father of my child, who'd come three thousand miles to find me.

Don't,Sapphire warned.Nothing good will come of this.

But I was tired of running. Tired of looking over my shoulder, waiting for this moment. Maybe it was time to face him, to show him exactly what he'd lost.

"Five minutes," I said finally. "Outside. Away from here."

Rita grabbed my arm, her eyes blazing with concern. "Hon, you don't have to—"

"It's okay," I said, covering her hand with mine. "I need to do this. I need to say what I should have said months ago."

"We'll be right here," Tom said firmly. "You holler if you need anything."

"I will," I promised.

Marshall looked surprised that I'd agreed, hope flickering in his eyes. But as I moved toward the door, I made sure he saw the strength in my stride, the protective curve of my hands around my belly, the way I held my head high.

The broken girl he'd banished was gone. The woman who'd replaced her was about to make sure he understood exactly what that meant.

Five minutes,Sapphire said grimly.Then we're done with him forever.

"Five minutes," I agreed, stepping out into the bright afternoon to face my past one last time.

Chapter 16

Annalise

Five minutes. That's all I'd give him to explain four months of hell.

We stood outside Rita's Diner on the small patch of grass that passed for a front yard, close enough to the building that I could feel the protective presence of my chosen family through the windows. The late afternoon sun beat down on us, making the air shimmer with heat, but I felt cold to my bones.

Marshall looked different in the harsh light—older, more worn, with lines around his amber eyes that hadn't been there when I'd known him. Dark circles shadowed his face, and his clothes hung loose on his frame, as if he'd lost weight. Good. Let him look as tired as I'd felt those first terrible weeks after he'd thrown me away.

My hands trembled as I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to create a barrier between us. The movement pushed my belly out more prominently, and I watched his eyes track the motion with something that looked like wonder mixed with devastating pain.

"Five minutes," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "Tick tock."

"You look beautiful," he said softly, his voice rough with emotion.

My breath caught, and I felt my face flush with anger. Behind me, I could hear the soft murmur of voices from the diner, the clink of dishes, the normal sounds of my life. My real life.

"Don't." The word came out sharper than I'd intended, and I saw him flinch. "Don't you dare try to charm me. You wanted to explain? Then explain. But don't insult me by pretending this is about how I look."