didn’t deserve the time of day.”
Holly popped up on her elbow. “A mistake? You’re talking about me, right?” An ached crushed her chest. She knew the feeling well after having her heart broken a few times too many. When he didn’t answer, it drove the bullet home. Something snapped inside her and she jumped up out of bed, bringing the sheet along with her. Wrapping the soft material around her nudity, she felt all of the warmth vanish into emptiness. “Your lack of an answer is clear enough.”
“Come on, sweetheart.” He lifted himself higher against the headboard. “What’s wrong?”
“ What’s wrong ? Not a thing. I understand.” She clutched the sheet against her body, as if it were a wall of protection. “You married a perfect woman and that was the life you’d always wanted. I just couldn’t be perfect for you.” In every woman’s life she had a specific, mind-boggling moment when she realized she loved someone. This was Holly’s moment. She’d never stopped loving Liam.
“I never said I wanted perfection. Those are your words. Tiffany wasn’t flawless. However, she was a good person and loyal.”
Holly couldn’t catch her breath. Tears filled her eyes but she forced them away. Crying would only make her look silly. “And I didn’t know how to be those things, did I?”
He squinted. “Why are you taking everything I say as a personal jab? I’m not comparing.”
“And you think you haven’t given me reason to feel insecure?” Her heart plummeted. “As you point out your wife’s great assets, it feels a lot like you’re zeroing in on my faults.”
“You’re being ridiculous. I think you even know you are.” His eyes slanted.
“Well, I think you should leave because I don’t want to be any more ridiculous.” Stomping across the room, the material of the sheet caught underneath her feet, causing her to lose her balance. She caught herself on the edge of the dresser, not daring to look at Liam. She could almost hear his silent mocking. Grabbing sweats and cami from her drawer, she dragged them on. They fit her tight and she realized they were old clothes from her early teens, yet she wasn’t going to undress in front of him.
When she turned, he already had his pants on. All memory of their passionate lovemaking was gone and replaced with a cold wall. “Since I’ve come home you’ve given me a hard time about leaving. You act as if I left town to hurt you. Maybe too much has passed between us to ever mend. You married someone else and that can’t be erased, no matter what reasons you gave.”
He zipped his pants; his eyes were on her in question. “Are you mad because I married her, or because I didn’t come running after you like I did so many other times?”
Her hands trembled as her bottom lip quivered. The room wasn’t cold but her body was freezing. “Do you remember the argument we had before I went away?” she asked.
“Yes, I remember some.” His deep voice was full of emotion, making her stomach twist. “I can’t say what happened but it turned ugly and I stormed out. That was the last time I saw you.”
Holly could see the torment in his dark eyes. She swallowed back a sob. “Well, I do know why we fought,” she said. “In fact, I’ve thought about it every day. It’s haunted me.”
He stepped closer to her. “What was it?”
“You had,” she forced her voice to work, “accused me of cheating.”
His eyes hooded. “I didn’t mean that.”
“You didn’t? You seemed sincere when you said troublemakers liked drama. Problems are all I know, right?” Her throat hurt. Taking a short step back, her hip hit the dresser. The metal knobs dug into her skin and she didn’t care.
“I was a kid, sweetheart. We both said things to each other that we later regretted. It didn’t mean that we disliked or hated one another. We apologized and things got better.”
Turning her cheek, she refused to allow the tenderness in his voice and the
Holly popped up on her elbow. “A mistake? You’re talking about me, right?” An ached crushed her chest. She knew the feeling well after having her heart broken a few times too many. When he didn’t answer, it drove the bullet home. Something snapped inside her and she jumped up out of bed, bringing the sheet along with her. Wrapping the soft material around her nudity, she felt all of the warmth vanish into emptiness. “Your lack of an answer is clear enough.”
“Come on, sweetheart.” He lifted himself higher against the headboard. “What’s wrong?”
“ What’s wrong ? Not a thing. I understand.” She clutched the sheet against her body, as if it were a wall of protection. “You married a perfect woman and that was the life you’d always wanted. I just couldn’t be perfect for you.” In every woman’s life she had a specific, mind-boggling moment when she realized she loved someone. This was Holly’s moment. She’d never stopped loving Liam.
“I never said I wanted perfection. Those are your words. Tiffany wasn’t flawless. However, she was a good person and loyal.”
Holly couldn’t catch her breath. Tears filled her eyes but she forced them away. Crying would only make her look silly. “And I didn’t know how to be those things, did I?”
He squinted. “Why are you taking everything I say as a personal jab? I’m not comparing.”
“And you think you haven’t given me reason to feel insecure?” Her heart plummeted. “As you point out your wife’s great assets, it feels a lot like you’re zeroing in on my faults.”
“You’re being ridiculous. I think you even know you are.” His eyes slanted.
“Well, I think you should leave because I don’t want to be any more ridiculous.” Stomping across the room, the material of the sheet caught underneath her feet, causing her to lose her balance. She caught herself on the edge of the dresser, not daring to look at Liam. She could almost hear his silent mocking. Grabbing sweats and cami from her drawer, she dragged them on. They fit her tight and she realized they were old clothes from her early teens, yet she wasn’t going to undress in front of him.
When she turned, he already had his pants on. All memory of their passionate lovemaking was gone and replaced with a cold wall. “Since I’ve come home you’ve given me a hard time about leaving. You act as if I left town to hurt you. Maybe too much has passed between us to ever mend. You married someone else and that can’t be erased, no matter what reasons you gave.”
He zipped his pants; his eyes were on her in question. “Are you mad because I married her, or because I didn’t come running after you like I did so many other times?”
Her hands trembled as her bottom lip quivered. The room wasn’t cold but her body was freezing. “Do you remember the argument we had before I went away?” she asked.
“Yes, I remember some.” His deep voice was full of emotion, making her stomach twist. “I can’t say what happened but it turned ugly and I stormed out. That was the last time I saw you.”
Holly could see the torment in his dark eyes. She swallowed back a sob. “Well, I do know why we fought,” she said. “In fact, I’ve thought about it every day. It’s haunted me.”
He stepped closer to her. “What was it?”
“You had,” she forced her voice to work, “accused me of cheating.”
His eyes hooded. “I didn’t mean that.”
“You didn’t? You seemed sincere when you said troublemakers liked drama. Problems are all I know, right?” Her throat hurt. Taking a short step back, her hip hit the dresser. The metal knobs dug into her skin and she didn’t care.
“I was a kid, sweetheart. We both said things to each other that we later regretted. It didn’t mean that we disliked or hated one another. We apologized and things got better.”
Turning her cheek, she refused to allow the tenderness in his voice and the
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