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Why he hadn’t been good enough to be loved by her.
“When Milo is done for the night, go talk to him, Colt.”
“I doubt he wants to see me.” Colt rubbed his nape as he watched a guest talk to Milo. His mate nodded and hurried away, returning with a small stack of napkins.
“When I felt as if being with Kellen was a mistake, he bared himself to me,” Atlas confessed.
Colt wrinkled his nose. “I told you I didn’t want to hear about your sex life.”
Atlas smacked his leg. “He bared his soul, perv. He gave me a part of himself, and it helped me to trust him. I’m not saying to bear your soul to Milo, at least not tonight, but being vulnerable is a good way to break down walls. Don’t flirt or try to be smooth and charming. Just be yourself, Colt.”
“If I did that, he would run from me. I’m nice around you and your family, but…” Colt stopped himself from saying he wasn’t worth the effort.
“You’re just like your brother.” Atlas sat back. “Kellen thought he was too messed up for a decent guy like me.”
Colt was a bit stunned that Atlas had guessed what he’d been thinking.
“I had a lot of self-esteem issues because of my mom and what Glen did to me,” Atlas said. “I didn’t think I was good enough for Kellen.”
“Seriously?” Colt was surprised to hear that. “You’re the best thing to ever happen to him.”
“If you don’t give Milo a chance, you might miss out on the best thing to ever happen to you.” Atlas stood. “Just don’t demand that he comes home with you again. Start out by getting his phone number and invite him out for coffee.”
Colt turned over Atlas’s advice in his head as the guy walked away. He watched as his brother-in-law slid into Kellen’s arms and the way Kellen looked at his mate as if the human was his reason for breathing.
Colt longed to have someone look at him that way. The guys he hooked up with only had lust in their eyes. They’d only wanted him for his body, never taking the time to get to know him.
Except Hayley, but he hadn’t wanted to get to know Colt. The gazelle shifter had wanted to possess Colt. Just thinking about how obsessed Hayley had been with him made Colt shudder. He’d dated Hayley off and on for two months, but Colt had never caught feelings for him.
Hayley’s behavior hadn’t helped matters. The guy flipped out every time Colt didn’t call him. He’d tracked Colt down more than once, acting like a complete ass, uncaring who was around to witness his tantrums.
Hayley had said that fate had gotten it wrong and they should have been mates. Colt thought fate had gotten it right because the guy was too damn unstable and self-centered.
It had been a month since he’d told Hayley that what they had wasn’t going anywhere, and thank fuck the guy didn’t live in Midnight Falls or know Colt’s address. He never planned on seeing Hayley again, and now that he’d found his mate, there wasn’t a chance of Colt changing his mind.
An hour later, there were only a handful of people remaining. The bride and groom had left thirty minutes ago, a majority of the guests leaving shortly after.
The catering staff had cleaned up everything, so this was Colt’s chance to talk to Milo.
He got up and headed to where his mate stood, talking with what Colt assumed was a coworker.
“May I speak with you a moment?” Colt asked as he interrupted them.
“It was great working with you tonight, Milo,” the female said as her interested gaze slid up and down Colt before she walked away.
“I’m not going home with you.” Milo crossed his arms, a sure sign he was closing himself off.
“That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” Colt tucked his hands into the pocket of his slacks. “I wanted to apologize for losing my cool earlier. You had no idea that you’d touched a nerve, but I could have handled it better.”
Milo eyed him warily. “I shouldn’t have assumed things about you. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I was panicked because I thought I’d lost my uncle his job.”
“Can we start over?” Colt stuck out his hand. “Hi. I’m Colt Sager. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He could tell Milo was fighting a grin. He shook Colt’s hand. “I’m Milo Landon.”
He let Colt’s hand go, but all Colt wanted was to feel his mate touching him again.
“I just wanted to ask if we could exchange phone numbers and maybe grab a coffee sometime.” Colt saw Dan in his peripheral vision and hoped like hell the guy didn’t interrupt them. He didn’t want to deal with the asshat and dress him down again. Colt would rather spend his energy on his mate.
