true.” He raises a hand like he wants to touch me, but it falls to his lap. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get you back.”
“I don’t think there’s anything you can do.” I hate how much I want to turn to him and give in, how much I want him to kiss me and make me forget.
More than anything, I want to go back to that night when we skinny-dipped in the lake under the moonlight. Everything had been perfect, and the whole future stretched out before me, ripe with possibilities.
He’s silent, as though contemplating, but then he sighs. “I fixed everything with the Hayes family as best I could.”
“Again with them?” I shake my head. “Out of all the things to talk about, why them?”
He frowns. “Because I want you to see I’m taking responsibility for my mistakes, and I don’t know how else to do that but to tell you what I’ve done to rectify my poor decisions. I want to show you somehow that I’m serious.”
I sigh. I’ll ask the question he wants me to ask, because he seems to think it’s important, and part of me needs to hear him out. Maybe that’s how I’ll get closure and start the process of moving on. “What did you do?”
“I called Robert Hayes, apologized for my actions, and said I’d provide training to whomever he wanted on some of my techniques as restitution. And I gave Meredith what she wanted.”
“What’s that?”
He smiles, but it’s small and doesn’t reach his eyes. “The recognition she craves. I told her father she should get the job as head of the company. I also told her I was wrong to take off the way I did. It satisfied her enough to understand I was never going to be part of the package. So she went home where she belongs, hopefully to claim her rightful place. It wasn’t much, but it was something I could do to make up for the damage I caused.”
I press my fingertips to my lips. My chest is tight, and that weight I’ve been ignoring is getting heavier. “Glad you worked it out.”
“I also went and saw my mom.” He laces his fingers between his splayed knees. “She’ll probably never remember me again, but I’m going to look into a place around here so I can go visit her a couple times a week. I might not have been the best son, but I figure I can make amends by being the person she wants me to be in this stage of her life.”
“You’ve been busy.” I don’t know what else to say. I’m glad he’s making these steps, just like I’m glad I’ve been making mine, but disappointment is like a rock in my stomach. These are things I wanted to do with him. Not in spite of him.
“I needed to take action before I tried to talk to you again. It’s the only way I could think of to show you I’m invested—not only in you, but in me.”
I nod. “I’m glad, but it doesn’t change anything for me. “
“I figured it wouldn’t.” He reaches into his pocket and brings out a piece of paper. He hands it to me.
I open it up, and what I see brings tears to my eyes. “Riding lessons?”
He nods. “I had ideas to buy you a horse, but then I realized that was impractical. The stables aren’t ready, and I couldn’t just start making repairs on land that doesn’t belong to me. And what if you don’t want one? I thought lessons would be a way to start, and a way to support what you’re building in your life, independent of me.”
I can’t believe it. He bought them from Shooting Stars Stable. My voice shakes. “This is so weird.”
“Why’s that?”
I look at him, really facing him for the first time. I bite my lip and fight through my tight throat. “I bought a horse. And I talked to Wyatt and Jackson the other day about how I wanted to renovate the stables.”
His expression widens in surprise, and then he laughs. “I guess it was the right gift then.”
My fingers tighten on the paper. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He looks at me. “I’m glad, Cat. I want you to be happy.”
A tear slips down my cheek. “I’m trying.”
A muscle in his jaw jumps. “I also want you to know, I’m prepared to quit if it means you’ll believe me.”
“How would that make me believe you?” I feel a swell