“Maybe that’s something we should talk about,” I told him. He wouldn’t even look me in the eye. I glanced at Alicia, wondering exactly how long it was going to take her to figure out that she didn’t belong in the middle of this conversation. “If you aren’t too busy hooking up with the first girl that comes along.”

The first thought I had when I saw him standing there wasn’t that he was letting some other woman hang all over him. It wasn’t even the fact that I saw him staring at her chest or her mouth. It was that I barely recognized him. His hair was short—almost to his scalp. The bright eyes I’d let myself fall into on more than one occasion were clouded and the circles under his eyes added even more darkness to his appearance. His face was shadowed with stubble. His lips were pursed and his brow was furrowed as he watched the woman’s movements.

All I could think was that I was watching another person. This wasn’t the man I loved. The man I loved had sweet, kind eyes and a smile that made me think everything was going to be okay. This guy was hard and unwavering as he let the woman hang all over him. Had I done this to him? Had I made him unrecognizable? It didn’t matter if I had, the real problem slowly unfolding in front of me was that I’d pushed him into the arms of another woman.

“You think I’d really just go hook up with the first girl to come around?” he asked, defensively. “She’s not the first, either. For the record,” he informed me, adding insult to injury. Of course, he’d make it clear that he could have any woman he wanted. I guess I deserved it... kind of.

“You don’t owe me an explanation. I was actually here to give you one.” If you’ll stop glaring at me like an asshole. My blood had boiled as I watched him with her. I wanted to attack her and tell her to get the hell away from him because he was mine, but I couldn’t move from where I stood. He had turned her down, so I hoped that meant he still wanted me. I swallowed back the fear of being rejected. I’d come too far—all the way to Texas to be more specific. I had no choice but to find out. I wouldn’t live with the regret of not knowing. I regretted enough already when it came to him.

“Oh, now you want to talk about it?” He huffed out an impatient breath and shook his head. “Nice to know that I have absolutely zero say in what goes on between us.”

“That’s not true.” Or at least I didn’t want it to be. I’d been unfair to him. I had to make him see that I’d made a mistake.

“I wanted to talk about this weeks ago.”

“I know. And I didn’t. But I’ve had time to think, to miss you like crazy, so now I do,” I said, matching his stance. If he wanted to scream and yell, I’d let him. I was ready to fight for him, with or without an audience.

I could feel Alicia’s eyes on us and the second she opened her mouth to excuse herself I was relieved. Bye, Felicia.

“Good luck working all this out,” she said as she left. Oh, we were working it out. I wasn’t leaving the state of Texas without him knowing how much I loved him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked when we were alone.

“I told you I’d come to one event,” I said. I smiled, hoping to break the tension, but when his expression didn’t change, I pursed my lips and sucked in a breath through my nose. “I wanted to see you,” I confessed. “I think I made a mistake.”

“You think or you know?” he asked plainly. He stepped up to me. His arms still crossed and his back straight as he stared down into my eyes. “‘Cause I’m real tired of you thinking that you know.” I held my breath as his face leaned toward mine. “This is more than just an ‘I’m sorry’ situation,” he added. “If you came here thinking that I’d just forgive you, you were wrong.”

“I know it’s more than that,” I told him, reaching up to touch his arm. He didn’t flinch. I moved my hand back and felt completely frustrated. The stoic way he was standing in front of me had my heart beating double time. He was intimidating me, which I was pretty sure was his exact intention. “And I am sorry.”

“For what exactly?”

“For not talking to you about everything I was feeling,” I began. “For hurting you.” He swallowed hard at that and I knew that it was true. At least I was getting some kind of response out of him. The strong silent approach he was taking had me in a cold sweat, the desire that I still had for him was the only thing that was keeping me from freezing up completely. “For wasting time not being with you,” I said, slowly reaching out to touch him again. I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted him to know how badly I needed him. His body tensed under my hand and I could feel the heat coming off of him even through his jersey. “For being scared and acting on a stupid impulse that I should’ve discussed with you like an adult instead of behaving like a scared kid.”

His eyes fell shut for a brief moment and the overwhelming hope that he was ready to forgive me lingered right in front of me.

“Do you know how fucking frustrating it is to have the one person you want to talk to more than anything ignore you? Block you?” he said, reaffirming his stance. “I did everything I was supposed to do to make things work between us. I put in the effort and you didn’t even care enough to talk to me about why you wanted to end things.” He punctuated the last statement with a sigh. “I don’t know, Georgia. Maybe I’m not boyfriend material after all.”

Panic stung like bees in my belly. “It wasn’t you, Brett,” I swore. He had been the perfect boyfriend. I felt terrible for making him feel insecure about it. He’d been patient with me when I needed it the most. And supportive and loving. I couldn’t fault him for a single thing. “It was all me. I panicked. I was afraid of what would happen if I lost you, if something happened to you. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“I can’t be with someone who can’t handle the stress,” he snapped. “My job is a risk. I need someone who will support me. I need someone who knows how important this is to me. I’m sorry you lost someone before, but I can’t change who I am and what I do. You wouldn’t like me as that guy anyway.”

“I never meant to hurt you,” I promised. “And I don’t want you to change. I want to be with you just as you are,” I continued to plead my case and earn his forgiveness. “I lov—” I wanted him to know that I was that person, but the second we heard two dirt bikes roar past the shed we were standing in my voice was lost in the noise. The open doors allowing anyone who wanted a front row seat to the Brett and Georgia show full access. If I needed to declare my love for him publicly I would. I’d go to the announcer’s stand and make a fool out of myself if that meant winning back his love. I knew by the way his eyes were lingering on my lips that he knew what I was trying to tell him. I love you.

He grabbed my hand and led me to the back corner of the shed. Behind all of the equipment I assumed they used to prepare the track, we were completely concealed from prying eyes. We were alone. As he turned me in his arms, pulling my back against his chest and circling his arms around my waist, I knew that had been his motivation.

“I really am sor—” I tried to turn in his arms, but his arms tightened around me.

“Don’t move,” he said, his voice deeper and more commanding than I’d ever heard. “I need you to hear me,” he added. “I know if I look you in the eye I won’t be able to stay mad at you and I need to tell you a few things first.” His hands moved to my hips. “I get that you were scared,” he began. “I know that you’ve been through a lot and being with me is terrifying, but I’m done with the back and forth, Georgia.” He slowly pushed my hair to one side. The warmth of his body against mine was matched by the feel of his breath on my neck, causing my body to feel as if it could burst into flames at any moment. I let my head fall to the side as he held his lips only centimeters from my skin—teasing me, but not letting his mouth fall on my skin. “If you’re here, and you seriously want to be with me, then I need to know that it’s for real. That it’s forever.”