Feisty Red (Three Chicks Brewery #2) - Stacey Kennedy Page 0,20

you. Maybe not by my hand, but in some way, and I couldn’t let that happen. So I left, and for a very long time, that anger stayed gone.” Until his father died.

Clara’s lips pursed before her expression softened a little. “It wasn’t your choice to decide what is good for me or not. That wasn’t your right; it was mine. You should have told me why you were leaving. What was going on in your head.”

He considered that, and he knew she was right. But he’d been a ticking time bomb back then. All he knew was that he couldn’t let his instability touch her. “Whether it was my decision to make or not make is irrelevant now. I made that decision, and there is no changing that,” he eventually said.

She sighed heavily. “So, where are you going with all this?”

He set his shot glass back down and turned to face her. “I want you to know I’m not pissing around here. I’m not the guy who left you seven years ago, hiding from the past. I’ve come home to face the shit I couldn’t face before. To right so many wrongs. Because when I got the call that my dad had died, in my head, I was fine. It resolved everything. The bastard was dead, and I could finally move on. But slowly, I began to drown. The game wasn’t enough anymore. Nothing was enough. And then, I just snapped again…all that anger and rage came back.”

“Which led to the suspension?”

“That’s right.” He stared at his greatest mistake. For seven years, Clara had been living the life Sullivan should have had with her, with his son. He should have made things easier, better. And he’d run from that life like it was poison to him. He didn’t come back for his father’s funeral when his kidneys finally gave out. He donated any of the money left in his father’s estate. It all sat like a painful memory he didn’t want to resurface. But none of that should have impacted Clara. Clara had only wanted love. Why couldn’t he have given her that? “The reason I’m telling you all this is so you know I’m not here to mess up anyone’s lives. I’m here to make amends.” And to show her he was serious, he added, “I’ve enlisted the help of Dr. Elizabeth Stevens.”

Her brows lifted. “You’re going to therapy?”

He nodded, spotting the surprise in her eyes. At one time, he would have felt shame at admitting he needed help. He didn’t have that left in him. Now all he had was a purpose to heal all his broken pieces. “I’m putting in the work and doing what I should have done seven years ago and dealing with the trauma.”

For a split second, the cold Clara he didn’t know at all vanished and the soft Clara he knew all too well appeared. “No one deserves to struggle. It’s good you’re looking after your mental health, Sullivan.”

He nodded and rose, shoving his hands in his pockets, staring down at her as the bright moon cast warm light over them. And with those sweet eyes on him, Sullivan was hit with something completely unexpected. He still loved her. Madly. Deeply. And, for him, it felt like no time had gone by at all when she looked at him like that. “One step at a time. Take this slow and get to know Mason. That’s the plan going forward.”

In an instant, the warmth was gone and a stranger was staring at him with distrusting eyes. “That’s the plan,” she agreed.

“All right,” he said, reaching back into his pocket to grab his wallet. “I’m staying in old Bart’s apartment for the month. Here’s my number.” He handed her a card. “You’ll be in touch?”

“I will.”

“Then, we’ll talk soon. Sleep tight.” He turned away and crossed over the gravel driveway to his rented truck, knowing full well his plan didn’t stop there. He mentally added one more task onto the list of what he needed to achieve before he left River Rock—earn Clara’s forgiveness.

6

The next morning, Clara peeked open an eye to find a bright, sunny day. She shifted onto her side in bed and stared out her bedroom window to the branches of the trees waving in the slight breeze. Last night filled her mind. Nothing was playing out like she’d intended. She had expected Sullivan to book it, not for him to own up to his past mistakes and try to better