The Rivals - Dylan Allen Page 0,230

in good hands. Maybe even better than it was with me. And my friends aren’t going anywhere. In fact, one of them even came all the way here to find me.” He smiles with a carelessness I’m not sure he really feels.

“I don’t think anyone feels like things are better with you gone. Regan is worried.”

“Fine, I’ll call Regan and Tyson. But what I’ve got to say needs to be said in person.”

“Great, then let’s head back to Houston, get you back in the saddle.”

He stands up without any warning. “Come on.” He claps his hands together and heads toward the door.

I watch the spectacular sight of his retreating back, admiring the way his muscles ripple with each step for a minute before I follow him inside.

“Where are we going?” When I get to the bedroom, I find him slipping into a pair of briefs.

“For a run. It’ll be great, I’ll show you the property and take you around town.”

“I thought you said town was three miles away.”

“It is.” He pulls on a T-shirt and opens the drawer of his dresser and pulls out a pair of sweats.

“I can’t run six miles, Remi.” Each step of two miles I do each day feels like torture.

“Of course you can. You never know what you’re capable of until you try. Get dressed.”

“I’ll just wait for you to come back,” I say and flop onto the bed.

“Oh, no you won’t.” He grabs me by the arms and pulls me up to standing.

“Yes. I will. I’ll die before we get there.” I flail dramatically and he laughs.

“It’ll feel great and if you get tired, I promise I’ll carry you back home via piggyback.” He reaches into my luggage and rummages around until he finds my sneakers. He peeks inside. “Still a size seven,” he says before he hands them to me.

“How do you remember my shoe size?” I ask and take them grudgingly from him.

“You left those shoes in the hallway of my parent’s house thirteen years ago.”

I cover my mouth with my hand and stare at him wide-eyed. “Has it really been that long?”

“Yeah. It has. And I’ll never ever be able to say sorry in a way that truly conveys just how shitty I feel about that night.” His eyes are soft, full of regret and they search mine as if he’s expecting to see the same thing reflected in them.

But it’s not. Not even a little.

“Remi, that night was humiliating, hurtful, and I wish it had never happened. I know if you had to do it again, you would do things differently. But I stopped asking what if a long time ago. Everything happens for a reason. We might not be here, now, if it hadn’t.” I grab hold of his hands.

“I guess.” He sounds unconvinced and he breaks eyes contact.

I drop his hands so I can cup his precious face and he looks at me again.

“Bianca is reason enough for me to know why I went through that. She’s a special kid. I was meant to be her mom. Paul was meant to be her dad.” I gentle my voice when I say those words, but he flinches anyway.

“She helped me find the courage to live a life that wasn’t a lie. And that’s what, in the end, brought us back together. Like you said, we had to walk that walk, right?”

“I guess. And you’re right about asking what if, I just hate that I hurt you, Kal. You. Of all people. I’m not sure that I’ll ever forgive myself.” The pain in his voice tears at me and I wish I could take it away.

“All’s well that ends well. I have a feeling that we’re going to end well…” I press a kiss to his mouth and he grips my side and dips his tongue between my lips.

“I love that little freckle on the top, it kills me.” He flicks my lip with his tongue and presses soft, small kisses to it.

His touch, light and fleeting as it is, makes me giddy. I rise up on my toes and slip my arms around his neck. “Well, why don’t we skip that run and kiss the calories away?”

He pulls my arms down and grins. “I’d almost forgotten. Thanks for the reminder.”

“Me and my big mouth,” I grumble.

He frowns at me in exaggerated reproach. “Hey, I happen to like that mouth, watch how you talk about it.” He slaps my ass before he strolls out of the room and calls over