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“She’s the best.”
“So did you punch him out? Or find some other way to get your revenge?”
“Believe me, I wanted to. Eventually, I realize the best revenge was just to move on and show him that he didn’t matter anymore.”
Since that was her first experience with romance, it’s shocking she ever gave love another chance. I didn’t get my heart ripped out until the ripe age of thirty-two. In one confrontation with my ex, I went from pissed-off groom to dedicated manwhore, numbing my hurt with easy lay after easy lay. Not Kiera. Despite being kicked, she kept believing in love for years, only choosing a more cynical path when no one out there would be real with her.
“Then there was the guy in college?”
“Yes. I thought I could start fresh where no one knew me. But that didn’t work out, either. He wanted to party. I wanted to plan a future. You know the rest.”
I do. Suddenly, I understand Kiera so much better—the choices she’s made, her determination to find her storybook ending and live happily ever after, her refusal to waste her time on selfish players. Until now, men have been nothing to her but huge disappointments. No wonder that, before me, her personal number was a measly two.
“Since I can’t go back and beat up your exes—though it would be a pleasure—I hope our time together has at least made up for the mediocre sex you had with them.”
“You were amazing. That night surpassed all my expectations.”
Mine, too. It’s gratifying to know I can right those two wrongs in one night. If life were simple, I’d right every wrong she’s ever been dealt.
“Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“I trust you,” she says without hesitation.
Her three words slam through me like a wrecking ball. The truth shines in her eyes. It’s stunning. It’s humbling. It’s something I’d hate to lose.
I clear my throat. “Favorite sport?”
“Football.”
“Good answer.” I smile.
“Um, favorite time of year?”
“Winter. You?”
She shudders. “I’m allergic to the cold. But since I sunburn easily, summer isn’t my favorite, either. Autumn, specifically October, is perfect.”
“So you’re not into beaches?”
She scoffs. “You try wearing tubes of sunblock only to end up crispy.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. Unless you have a gigantic umbrella, I’m staying indoors.”
That beautiful porcelain skin of hers clearly comes at a price. “Fair enough.”
The server returns with our food, refills our drinks, and leaves us with a smile.
We dig into our food. Kiera picks up lo mein with chopsticks. “What about you? Who broke your heart and made you an eternal bachelor?”
“I’ve always preferred it this way. I’m pretty much a loner.” And of course the contentious relationship between my parents hardly painted a rosy picture of marriage.
“Amber was the exception?”
She was the one time I foolishly let myself believe in love. “She was a mistake.”
“But if you were engaged, you must have wanted to spend your life with her.”
