Page 153

Her mother and her sister stared at her.

“What’s going on?” Reggie demanded. “Did you two have a fight?”

“No.” Dena stood, then had to steady herself on the nightstand. “No,” she repeated more loudly, telling herself to stop shaking. “We haven’t spoken in a couple of days. I’m just surprised.”

They both eyed her suspiciously.

“Do you want me to tell him to leave?” her mother asked.

“No. I’ll talk to him.” She faked a smile. “He’s back. That’s good, right?”

She darted out of the room before either of them could answer. At the top of the stairs, she paused, knowing she had to give herself a second to catch her breath and figure out what was happening.

Micah was here? But why? He didn’t have to come back. They’d packed up his stuff, and Dena was going to run it over to the shipping store later that afternoon. After Electra’s visit, there was nothing to say.

She drew in a breath. Maybe he wanted to apologize for what had happened. Maybe he wanted to ease his conscience or somehow try to make her think he wasn’t the bad guy. She didn’t think he’d come all this way to break her heart in person. She refused to believe Micah was that horrible. Of course, she’d been wrong about him in so many ways. Maybe she was wrong about that, too.

“The sooner I deal with this, the sooner I can get over him,” she murmured quietly before starting down the stairs.

She found him standing in the middle of the family room. The second she saw him, the waves of pain became a tsunami. She wanted to rush into his arms and have him tell her everything would be fine. She wanted to see him smile and hear his laugh and know that it was all just a big misunderstanding. But that wasn’t going to happen because everything he’d said or done was a lie. He’d been using her—maybe for entertainment, maybe for sport. She wasn’t sure the reason mattered. All she knew for sure was, next time she would be a little more cynical, a little less willing to trust. A painful legacy from the man she’d fallen in love with.

“Dena!” He started toward her, then stopped and swore. “I’m sorry. She hurt you. No, I hurt you. I can see it in your eyes. Why didn’t you call me and—” He shook his head. “Dumb question. You wouldn’t do that. Please tell me what she said.”

He wasn’t making any sense. “You don’t need me to tell you. You’re living it.”

His gaze was steady. Concerned. “I’m here with you, not wherever with her. Please tell me so I know what happened.”

Either things weren’t exactly as she’d thought or he was the best actor on the planet. Still not willing to trust him, she kept her distance as she said, “Electra showed up yesterday afternoon. She had your key and said she was here to get your stuff. You weren’t coming back to Wishing Tree. Instead, you and she were going somewhere tropical for the holidays. Three weeks of sun, sand and sex.”

He flinched. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “It’s not true. Not any of it. There is nothing between Electra and me. That was over more than a decade ago. That was all her. She took my key from my backpack while I was in the studio, recording the song. She must be desperate to do what she did, and I wish she hadn’t. I wish you’d called and talked to me.”

He took a step toward her, and she took a step back.

“Stay away,” she told him. The words all sounded so nice and plausible, but there was no reason to believe him. The hurt was just too big for her to want to trust him. “Just stay away.”

Pain sharpened his expression. “Dena, no.”

“Yes. I can’t do this. I don’t even know what this is. You’re some famous rock singer. You don’t belong here. You were just playing. I won’t be entertainment when you’re bored. This was a mistake.”

“But I love you. Didn’t you know? It was in the song.”

Her whole body stilled, and she tried to make sense of what he’d said. He loved her? He what?

She opened her mouth but was unable to speak. She also wasn’t breathing, but that seemed less important than trying to understand what he was—

He crossed to her, standing close but not touching her. “I meant every word in the song. You’ve changed me, Dena. You’ve opened my heart in ways I never expected. You’re good and kind and funny and smart and so beautiful. I love you. I thought you knew.”

“It was just a song,” she blurted. “You never said anything, and then you were gone and singing on TV, and we didn’t get to talk, and that woman showed up.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “It was so awful. I thought it had just been a game to you. I thought you were laughing at me.”

He pulled her close and held her so tightly, she knew in that second he would never let her go.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I handled this badly from the beginning.” He drew back enough to stare into her eyes. “Please forgive me for not getting it right. I should have told you how I felt before I left. When I was in LA, I should have made it clear I was coming back, because I need you and want to be with you always. Only you, Dena. Always you.”

She was still gasping like a fish when he leaned in and kissed her. At the first brush of his mouth on hers, she flung her arms around him and hung on. He loved her! Her!

He kissed her with enough love and passion to heal her shattered heart. Warmth spread through her. Not just because he was a hunky guy who had quite the erection, but because of what he’d said.

He raised his head. “I am so sorry I hurt you. Please believe me.”