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And now it’s come to fruition.
I’ve been outed.
Everyone knows I’m here.
“Colby!”
I wait for a beat or two, but there isn’t an answer.
If I didn’t know better, I’d assume I was alone. Except for the suffocating tension that hangs heavy in the air that tells me differently.
He’s here.
In the utter quietness, I feel the vibration of his hurt and anger.
I shove away from the door and beeline for the bedroom before skidding to a halt at the scene that unfolds in front of me. His duffle is open on the floor as he yanks the drawer open and scoops out his socks and underwear before dumping them in the bag.
“When were you going to tell me who you were, Bebe?”
The way he bites out my name sounds more like an accusation.
And I can’t blame him for it.
I went to great lengths to hide the truth from him.
From everyone.
I force myself to the bed before settling on the mattress. My tongue darts out to moisten parched lips as I wring my hands in front of me.
Now that we’re alone, I have no idea what to say.
Or how to make the situation better.
But I have to come up with something. Otherwise, he’ll walk out of my life and never look back.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, heart thumping painfully in my chest. “None of this was supposed to happen. I needed a break. Time to figure everything out.”
His expression remains inscrutable as he glances toward the window. “From the looks of it, your break is over. Your adoring public is waiting.”
I squeeze my eyes tightly closed before forcing them open again. Maybe I was able to blot out my life in LA, but I can’t do that here with Colby.
In a matter of a few short weeks, he’s become important to me.
“Can we please talk about this?”
A humorless chuckle slides from his lips. “It seems a little late for that, don’t you think? Your boyfriend is here. The one who proposed on national TV. The one you failed to mention.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I murmur, trying to keep the panic from invading my voice.
When he raises a brow, his stare boring into mine, heat suffuses my cheeks.
“Not really,” I mutter. “It was all for the show.”
His lips flatten into a tight line as he jerks his head into a nod. “Well, that’s just perfect.”
“No, it’s not. Nothing about my life is perfect.” My heart thunders painfully against my ribcage. “The only time I truly feel like myself is when I’m with you.”
He cocks his head. The iciness filling his blue depths is enough to freeze the blood rushing through my veins.
“And who exactly would that be? Bebe, the reality star? Or Britt, the college student I married in Vegas? The one who secretly sings? The one who refuses to share any pieces of herself with me? Because I have to be honest, I have no idea who the hell you are.”
Tears spring to my eyes. His words slice through my heart, leaving me to feel as if I’ve been gutted.
“I tried to tell you last night.”
“You should have tried harder,” he fires back. “Or maybe you should have mentioned that you were living a lie weeks ago.”
“You’re right.” I rise to my feet before inching closer. “I was scared. Scared of how you would react and what would happen if people discovered I was here.”
Emotion flickers in his eyes, and the harsh lines bracketing his lips soften.
A kernel of hope blooms inside me that I’ve finally said something that resonates.
Instead, he zips up the bag and anchors it to his shoulder. “I shared things with you that I’ve never told anyone before because I trusted you. It would have been nice if you’d given me the same benefit of the doubt.”
As I open my mouth to tell him that I wanted to, he stalks past me on the way to the door. He stutters to a stop when he reaches the threshold but doesn’t turn back to meet my gaze.
His shoulders sag. “This isn’t goodbye.”
Thick emotion floods my voice. “Are you sure about that?”
“I need time to figure out if it’s possible for us to move forward.”
“Take as much as you want. When you’re ready, I’ll be here waiting. For what it’s worth, I really am sorry.”
He drops the bag on the floor before swinging around and eating up the distance between us. As soon as I’m within striking distance, he yanks me into his arms. His lips crash onto mine and I open so that our tongues can meld into one. If only it were as easy for us to do the same.
Just as I sink into the embrace, he sets me free and takes a quick step in retreat. Even though he’s no more than a foot away, he’s never felt more out of reach.
