man reached down, the puppy chomped down on his finger.
“Ouch!” Oliver yanked his hand back and said, “You’re a toothy little alligator-bear.”
Reese gazed proudly up into the man’s face as if his work was complete.
Unable to contain his grin over the animal’s antics, Oliver said, “Aww, you’re a vicious protector for your mama, aren’t you?”
Oliver’s sing-songy tone evidently won the little dog over because he stopped barking and his tail began flapping wildly. The next thing I knew, Oliver scooped up the puppy, cradled him in his arms, and began scratching his ears.
If dogs could smile, there was no denying that Reese was beaming up at Oliver. Mumbling under my breath, I said, “Little traitor.”
Oliver smiled down at me. “He’s precious. Whoever brought him into your life must love you very much.”
Determined not to be swayed by either of the boys’ charming grins, I said firmly, “You need to go and take that eyesore with you.”
It was obvious I was talking about the Moxie dispenser, but Oliver pretended to misunderstand. Covering the puppy’s ears, he said, “Don’t listen to her. You’re a handsome little man.”
Annoyed by his teasing, I said, “Reese stays. You and that ridiculous machine need to leave. Now.”
Latching on to my first statement, Oliver said, “I knew you’d love the puppy.”
Beyond irritated that he’d been right about how attached to the dog I would become, and that he knew it, I snapped, “Yes, you were right about one thing. I guess meeting you wasn’t a complete disaster, but Reese was the only good thing to come out of it. You’ve brought me nothing but more heartache and despair––even though I already had plenty of both. Please go away.”
I enunciated my harsh words by walking over to the open front door and making a sweeping motion with my hand to usher him out. He stood frozen in place as if he didn’t comprehend that I didn’t want him here.
When he finally moved, Reese remained in his arms, and he left the vending machine behind. I rolled my eyes to the ceiling in exasperation.
He stood directly in front of me and gave me a pleading look. I steeled my nerves, crossed my arms over my chest, and forced myself to glare up at him. He had wronged me, and I refused to give in to his significant charm.
“Violet, I know that I don’t deserve you.”
I had to look away from his intent, sincere gaze. He tried to take one of my hands within his free one, but I yanked it away from him.
Unwilling to be so easily shut down, he said, “I never meant to let things go this far. I just wanted to see you and possibly thank you, but then I was drawn to you in ways that even I don’t understand. I couldn’t stay away from you. This heart beats for you, Vi.”
He flung my front door shut and bent to gently set Reese down on the floor. This time when he reached for my hand, he brought it to rest on his chest. My instinct was to pull back, but I found myself unable to follow through on the urge. His heart was pounding so hard, it seemed like it was trying to beat its way out of his chest. This type of physiological reaction wasn’t something he could fake.
I forced myself to clutch onto my justifiable anger, unwilling to let it go. He had lied to me by not revealing who he was. Our entire relationship had been built on a completely false premise. He’d had plenty of opportunities to tell me the truth, and he had chosen to keep it from me.
Glaring up at him, I asked, “How long were you planning to keep this secret from me? If we hadn’t bumped into Sheila, would you have ever told me the truth?”
“I wanted to tell you.” The look he was giving me was filled with sincerity, but I was concerned about trusting him.
Unable to keep the intense emotion out of my voice, I asked, “Then why didn’t you?”
“I was scared––so scared––of losing you. I’ve never been so frightened of anything in my entire life,” he admitted.
As masculine and tough as he pretended to be, I was sure it was hard on his pride to share his fears and vulnerabilities with me. It was endearing, but I refused to allow him to so easily sway my heart. What he had done was wrong, and he had hurt me too much to simply forgive and