I feel like a hypocrite sitting across from him, but my stomach aches from skipping dinner last night. “I guess I should say thank you.”

“That would be nice.”

“What are you doing back in Chicago anyway?”

He looks up, holding my eyes for a few seconds before answering. “We have a project to work on. I thought it would be easier if I were here, especially since we have a babysitter now.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, between bites of delicious buttery scrambled eggs.

“Oh, your boyfriend didn’t tell you? He threatened to pull funding for the project if I stayed on. Wade talked him into letting me complete my contract, but we’re not allowed to meet unless Pierce is present. Sounds like you’ve got yourself a relationship built on trust.” He sips his milk, waiting for me to react. Inside I’m boiling, but I’m not going to let him see that. It’s exactly what he wants.

“Why do you hate Pierce so much?” I ask. While I don’t agree with how Pierce feels about Blake, I don’t get Blake’s hatred. It’s puzzled me for months.

“He’s never liked me. Even when Alyssa was still here, he hated me. He thought she could do so much better. I think when she died it validated everything he’d already assumed.” I still hear the sadness in his voice when he talks about her. It lessens my anger. It reminds me that for weeks after he left, I was ready to forgive him for leaving if he would just give me the chance.

“Where have you been all this time?”

“Trying to forgive myself.”

“And?” I ask.

He sets his fork down on his empty plate, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t know if it matters because she’s not my only regret. I have a lifetime of mistakes to work through.”

I stand from the table. “I have to get to work.”

He steps behind me as I rinse my plate in the sink, caging me in with his arms. “Tell me I still have a chance with you. That’s all I want … a chance.”

“Do you want me to lie to you?”

He comes even closer, his body aligned with mine. “I see it in your eyes. I’ve always been able to read your eyes.”

“Sometimes hurt is too much. You left a scar, Blake. There’s no getting over that.”

“I can’t make you forget, but I can fix it. That’s the difference, Lila. Some of my mistakes can’t be fixed, but if you’d let me, you wouldn’t regret it.” His warm breath tickles my neck. If he kissed me there, I don’t know that I could stop him.

Then I think of Pierce, and I can’t do this to him. There’s something real there I can’t ignore, and even if I could, I’m not the type of girl who holds two men on a string at once.

“He told me he loves me,” I whisper, feeling his body stiffen against mine. “And, I told him I love him, too. I love him, Blake.”

He steps back, giving me space to breathe. I walk away without looking back. The thing is, I love Blake too—enough that I can’t chance seeing the pain on his face. I grab my keys and bag and make a hasty retreat out the door.

I don’t know how much more of this I can handle.

I SKIP MY USUAL MORNING office routine, electing to visit Reece before finding my own desk. “Hey,” she says, standing to hug me. “How was your trip?”

I throw my bag on one chair and slide down into the other. “A mess,” I say simply.

“Oh, no! What happened? Did they not like your designs?”

Shaking my head, I say, “No, that part went better than expected, but guess who else signed onto the project?”

She stares at me blankly.

“Blake,” I answer for her, rubbing my fingertips against my temples.

“I thought he’d disappeared. I mean, I didn’t think anyone knew where he was.”

“I guess Wade is better at hide and seek than the rest of us. Damnit, Reece. Every time I think I have my life together, something or someone has to come in and mess with it. Sometimes I feel like I’m a player in the game of chess, but someone else is moving the pieces.”

She moves my purse, taking the chair next to me. “But you’ve been pining over him for months. Aren’t you at least happy that he’s okay?”

“Of course, I’m happy that he’s back with the living, but he’s everywhere I go. He was even in my apartment this morning making breakfast.”

Her eyes narrow on me. “Let me get this straight; a guy who you’ve been missing finally came back into your life and he won’t leave you alone and this is making you angry because…”

I throw my hands up in the air. “Because I’m falling in love with someone else. He’s too late.”

Her mouth falls open. “Who? Who are you falling in love with?”

“Pierce,” I whisper, careful not to let anyone in surrounding offices hear.

“Shut up!”

I shake my head. “He’s been there for me, and somewhere along the way, things changed. I trust him more than I’ve ever trusted anyone. After everything I’ve been through the last year, that means the world to me.”

“How does Pierce feel?”

“He told me he loves me. He made love to me. I don’t question his motivations or intentions. He’s real, and that’s exactly what I needed. I’m done being with guys who make me question where I stand every other day.”

“He’s the right choice for you. It may be hard to see now, but he’s the forever type guy. Blake isn’t that guy for you. This project will end, and he’ll leave.” She pauses. “I think we both know that.”

I nod. She couldn’t be more right. “Thank you for listening to me whine. I think you need some man drama so we can be even.”

“I don’t foresee ever having this much drama, but if I do, you’ll be the first one to know.”

“I’m pathetic.”

She laughs. “I think you’re kind of lucky. I can’t find a man and you have two who would give an arm to be with you.”

“Well, I’m about to go rip the arm off of one because he thinks I need a babysitter.”

“I’m going to stay out of that one,” she says, going to sit back at her desk.

I finally make it to my desk twenty minutes after I’m supposed to be there. It’s no surprise that Pierce is standing there with his arms folded over his chest. His brows burrow at the sight of me. “I was starting to worry about you.”

“I was catching up with Reece.”

“I tried calling you. A few times actually.”

After throwing my purse on my desk, I look back up, my hands firmly planted on my hips. “Look, I’m sorry I’m late. I had a surprise visitor this morning, and he threw my whole routine off.”

“Who?” he asks, stepping closer.

My chest rises and falls. This is going to go over like a nun having sex in the cathedral. “Blake.”

He runs his thick fingers through his hair. It looks like he’s done that a few times already this morning. “I’m going to my office. I want to see you there within the next five minutes.”

Before I can reply, he disappears around the corner. There’s nowhere to hide. Once Pierce Stanley has something stuck in his head, there’s nothing I can do about it. I take my time, filling up my coffee cup before slowly making my way down the narrow hall that leads to his suite. The door is open just enough for me to see him standing with his back to me, staring out the floor to ceiling window.

I quietly slip inside, closing the door behind me.

“I was starting to think you weren’t coming.”

Looking down at my watch, I say, “Five minutes on the dot. Doesn’t seem like you had anything to worry about.”

He turns, eyes narrowed in on me. If he thinks he’s the only one who has something to be pissed about, he’s about to learn a hard lesson. “Why was Blake in your apartment this morning?”

“It’s a funny story, but I shouldn’t really have to tell it to you. You wrote a part in it.”

He takes two steps toward me. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“He wouldn’t be in Chicago if it weren’t for you and your demand to babysit us while we work on the project,” I reply, holding my ground.