LITMIR.BIZ

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Grudgingly, but I did it.”

      Kaegan didn’t say anything as he remembered that day. It had taken all he and Sawyer could do not to toss Ray off his boat into the water to wash some sense into him.

      “I’ve had one of those moments myself with Vashti,” Sawyer said. “When she tried to tell me about what had happened at the hospital. I didn’t want to listen or accept it. I refused to believe her and accused her of all sorts of things.”

      Kaegan was hearing what his best friends were saying, but they’d had the sense to straighten things out with their women within hours. He’d let things fester for ten years. Ten long damn years. He took a drink of his coffee and said, “Getting things straightened out in less than twenty-four hours doesn’t compare to ten years.”

      “True,” Sawyer said. “But a man has to start somewhere and usually it begins with an apology.”

      “I tried to apologize but she walked off like she didn’t want to hear it.”

      “And you’re going to settle for that?” Ray asked him.

      No, he wouldn’t settle. He would apologize again, a thousand times more if he had to to show her how sincere he was. He had messed up, and if it took the rest of his life, he would show her just how much he regretted doing so.

      A few hours later, Kaegan turned his SUV onto the street where Bryce’s real-estate office was located. He had passed by the place several times since returning to the cove. Had even done so at a time she had come outside to get into her car to leave for the day. He’d seen her but she hadn’t seen him. At the time, just looking at her had elicited anger. Now he knew whenever he saw her that he would only feel regret. Regret for being such a stupid ass for believing the BS his old man had been feeding him. But then, he couldn’t rightly place all the blame on his father. It was also what he’d thought he’d seen with his own eyes.

      During his sleepless night, he had come to terms with how wrong he’d been. There had never been anything going on between Bryce and Samuel, and he owed her an apology. Hopefully she would find it in her heart to accept it.

      He parked next to her car, unhooked the seat belt and got out of his vehicle. He took the steps two at a time, then sprinted toward the front door of the building and went inside. A young woman who looked to be in her early twenties sat behind a desk. She smiled when she saw him.

      “May I help you?”

      He nodded. “I’d like to see Bryce... Ms. Witherspoon.”

      The young woman nodded. “And what’s your name, sir?”

      “Kaegan Chambray.”

      “Just a moment, please, Mr. Chambray.”

      He glanced around when she picked up the phone to announce him. This was the first time he’d ever been here and he liked how Bryce had transformed the Cajun house into her workplace.

      A door opened and Bryce walked out of it. His breath caught, as it usually did whenever he saw her. She was professionally dressed in a pair of black slacks and a short-sleeve printed blouse. Her hair flowed around her shoulders and he could tell from her reddened eyes she’d been crying. A lot. He felt a kick in the gut. He’d been the cause of her pain.

      Without acknowledging his presence, she said to the young woman sitting at the desk, “You can leave for lunch now, Pia.”

      The young woman nodded. “Thanks.” She got her purse out of the drawer and stood. Before walking out the door, she glanced over at him and smiled faintly. He figured it was her way of warning him that her boss was not in the best of moods today.

      When the door closed behind the young woman, Bryce turned to him with narrowed eyes that were shooting daggers at him. “What are you doing here, Kaegan?”

      He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I came to see you.” She crossed her arms over her chest. He wished she hadn’t done that. That drew emphasis to a pair of perfect breasts. That was the last thing he needed to think about now.

      “Why?”

      “I said it last night and I felt the need to say it again today. I’m sorry, Bryce.”

      Her spine stiffened and the glare in her eyes deepened. “I don’t want your apology, Kaegan. It doesn’t matter. I stopped caring how you felt about me that night you walked out of that club with that other woman. Please leave.”

      He could tell her that woman hadn’t meant anything to him. That the two of them hadn’t slept together that night. But that couldn’t erase the other women he’d slept with over the years. Women he’d used to eradicate Bryce from his mind and heart.

      “Bryce, I—”

      “No. Today is not a good day, Kaegan. Maybe one day I’ll be ready to forgive you. But not now. Not today.”

      At that moment, although she didn’t say it, the words not ever hung between them. He wasn’t given a chance to ask because she turned toward her office, went inside and closed the door behind her.

      He had been dismissed with a finality that he felt all the way to the bone.

      “YOU LOOK LIKE crap, Kaegan.”

      He rubbed a hand down his face. Of all people, he didn’t need Vashti to tell him that. Besides, he had news for her—he felt like crap, as well. When he left Bryce’s office, he’d come here to Shelby by the Sea. He needed to see Vashti because she was one of his best friends. Always had been. More than anything, he knew he owed her an apology.

      Since returning to the cove and finding out about his and Bryce’s strained relationship, Vashti had, on more than one occasion, tried intervening. Now he wished more than anything that he would have heeded her advice. Hell, he wished she would have knocked some damn sense into him.

      “I owe you an apology and you can go ahead and say ‘I told you so,’ Vashti.”

      She looked at him over her shoulder as he followed her to her office. “Apology accepted. You have to admit I tried.”

      “Yes, but now I wish you could have been a little more forceful with it.”

      Vashti went over to the chair behind her desk and sat down. “It’s not easy being best friends with both you and Bryce. I felt like I was caught in the middle and at times I thought that I was the only sane person in the room. I was convinced the two of you were trying to drive me crazy.”

      Kaegan could only imagine. “How could you even put up with me, knowing what you knew?” he asked, taking the chair across from her desk.

      “That’s just it. I didn’t know everything. I knew about what happened with Samuel, but until just recently I didn’t know that she’d traveled all the way to that marine base to see you and tell you everything. In fact, it was the night of your party when the two of you had that little tiff. That’s when she told me. You don’t know how hard it was for me to even talk to you after that. If you noticed, I didn’t for a week.”

      He’d noticed. “I’ve been such an ass.”

      “Yes, you have.” She paused and then said, “She’s hurting and I believe you’re hurting, as well, because of the pain you know you’ve caused her. Just so you know, I promised Bryce I wouldn’t intervene on your behalf, no matter what. I guess you know what that means.”

      Yes, he knew. He’d gotten himself into this mess and he was the only one who could get himself out of it. He met Vashti’s gaze. “I intend to earn back her trust and love.”

      Vashti nodded. “Good luck. You are definitely going to need it because it’s not going to be easy. But then, I have a feeling you know that.”

      He nodded. “Yes, I know it, but I am a determined man.”

      “I believe

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