“I was always getting in trouble for being too reckless. Gramps warned me that someday I would regret not taking the time to stop and think before acting.” He shook his head slightly and gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Damn, was he ever right. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish I had stopped to think after finding out about Claire and Zach.”
She shivered and rubbed her arms, and the motion caught his attention. Without hesitation, he took off his button-down shirt and draped it over her shoulders.
“I was so enraged when I caught them,” he continued. “I don’t know what was worse, learning about her cheating or knowing the person she betrayed me for was Zach. The night I found out, I confronted her. I demanded to know why she would do such a thing. I thought everything was fine. We had a great relationship, so why would she turn to Zach? Why would she betray me?” The pain in his voice rose with each word. “Why wasn’t I —” He broke off and pressed his lips together. “Why wasn’t I … enough?”
“Oh, Talon,” she murmured. Of course he was enough.
“Don’t feel sorry for me,” he barked, wading farther into the water. “I don’t deserve it.”
“What was her explanation when you asked?”
His shoulders hunched even more. “She said I was too intense. She wasn’t ready for that type of relationship, and Zach …” He swallowed. “Zach made her laugh.”
“That’s still no excuse for what she did. If she felt it wasn’t working out with you, she should have talked about it first, not gone behind your back,” Keeley said loyally.
“We all make mistakes,” said Talon.
“You’re defending her?” she asked incredulously.
“I understand why she felt the way she did. When we were dating, I was still dealing with Gramps’s death. I talked to her about how I was feeling and what I was going through. It wasn’t pretty.” He grimaced. “Combine all that with the pressure of football and …” He shrugged. Then he kicked the incoming tide, sending a cascade of water back into the ocean. “Let’s just say it was the perfect time for Zach to swoop in.”
Regret laced his voice as he continued. “I made a mistake, Keeley. A very bad mistake. And I’m terrified that when I tell you, you’re going to walk away and never look back.”
“What did you do?”
She purposefully sidestepped his comment about walking away.
“After confronting her, I left with my friends,” he replied. “We went over to Finn’s house and started drinking. I was getting really worked up over it. I kept going on and on about how she betrayed me. After letting me vent, Finn piped up and said it’s too bad she didn’t understand how it felt to be betrayed.”
He paused and ran a hand over his face. “I remember the exact moment when it hit me. I was holding my phone, looking at the picture of them kissing, and I thought of the other photos I had of her.” The muscle in his jaw popped as he gritted his teeth. “Revealing photos.”
She realized what he was saying. “You …?”
His gaze dropped to the ground, but not before she saw the shame in his eyes. “I sent them to my friends.”
Dismay quickly turned to horror. Those pictures must have traveled like wildfire. She could only imagine what Claire’s life would have been like. Turning a vulnerable moment into something so vulgar. Being betrayed by the one person you thought was safe.
“See?!” he exploded, throwing his hands up. “This is why I didn’t want you to know. I never wanted you to look at me like that” — he motioned to her face — “sick with revulsion.”
“I don’t see you the same way. How can I?” This was not the person she thought she knew. She understood being upset and hurt at being cheated on, but to purposefully humiliate someone? It was cruel.
“You don’t think I regret it?” he cried. “When I woke up the next morning, I tried to take it all back, but by then, the damage was already done. Everyone had the pictures.”
“Is that why she moved?”
He nodded. “About a month after the incident, her house went on sale. She moved an hour north of here. I tried to apologize, but she refused to talk to me.” He closed his eyes briefly. “You have no idea how much I wish I had stopped to think before sending those photos.”
“Probably not as much as she did,” said Keeley. She regretted it the instant the worlds left her mouth. “I shouldn’t have said that.” But she was right.
Talon shoved his hands in his pocket. “It’s fine. So now you know. That’s the whole story. And that’s why I never keep pictures on my phone anymore.”
Her mind raced as she went over everything she learned. She knew he was sorry. It was evident in every word, every motion. But despite all that, how could she trust him? What else was he holding back? And what else was he capable of? Being a hothead and making a rash decision was one thing, but he had ruined someone’s life. What if he ruined hers?
Carefully, she said, “It’s a lot to take in.”
For a few seconds, she contemplated falling into his arms and assuring him everything would be okay, but her conscience intervened. “What you did was awful, Talon. You ruined that girl’s high school experience so much that she was forced to move.” And what about beyond high school? Those pictures could follow her to college and jobs … and, ugh, what if her kids saw them?
“I would never do something like that to you,” he swore.
“You say that now ...” She wanted to believe him, but … her whole life was ahead of her. What if something happened and he jeopardized that? She needed to trust the person she was with, not constantly be on alert.
He picked up her hand and placed it on his chest, holding it there with his own. His heart beat rapidly under her palm. “I’ve learned my lesson, Keeley. I’ve changed. I know you don’t believe me. And that’s completely understandable. But at least give me the opportunity to prove I’m not that guy anymore.”
His blue eyes compelled her to listen — to believe. If this had happened a month ago, maybe even a week ago, she would have. But she was a different girl now. One that could speak her mind. She knew what she needed to do. Drawing a deep breath, she explained. “It’s the fact that you were that guy in the first place that worries me. It’s like finding out about your name all over again.”
“Trust me,” he whispered.
“You ask me to blindly trust you, but when will you trust me? When will you tell me the whole truth every time?”
A shadow crossed his face. “When I know you won’t walk away from me.”
“That’s not a relationship, Talon. Keeping secrets only hurts what we’ve built.”
“Can you honestly say if you knew everything upfront, you would have given me a chance?”
Hesitation lined her face.
“Exactly! Don’t you see?” He clutched her shoulders. “I was giving us time to connect, to build our foundation so it could withstand the secrets.”
“You’re forgetting something, Talon.” She narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath. She tried to stay brave. “You were never going to tell me, Talon. Never,” she repeated. “If I hadn’t pushed, you would have happily left me in the dark.”