“Is everything okay?” He asks it almost grudgingly, and it makes me feel even worse. He’s still mad, but he’s worried about me, asking me if I’m okay. I messed up big time.
I turn to face him, wishing he’d look at me. “Yes, everything’s okay. I came to apologize to you.”
He nods. “You’re forgiven.”
I expect to feel relief, but I don’t. He’s still not looking at me, and even though he said it, I want more. I want him to yell, be mad or whatever. I can’t stand this calm response.
I reach out and touch his arm. “I mean it, King. I really am sorry.”
He looks at my hand and stares at me for a full minute. “You’re forgiven, Natalie.”
He pulls his arm away and starts to walk away from me, and my heart is galloping in my chest. I can’t let it end like this. I can’t.
Chapter 14
King
“Wait!” Nat says, but I keep going. She fuckin’ demolished me last night, and I’m not ready for this.
“King! Stop... please.” Whether it’s the sound of my name on her lips or the please, I stop moving and turn around.
She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. It’s like she’s searching for something to say, but I save her the time and hold my hands up. “It’s fine, Natalie. I forgive you. We don’t have to get into all of it again.”
She shakes her head and walks toward me. She stops right in front of me, and her hand goes to my chest. I know she can feel the heavy thud of my heart under her palm. It’s like that any time she’s near me. “I’m sorry for letting that woman get to me. You were right when you said I was scared. My ex-husband really did a number on me, and it was easier to just believe you were a player. It’s hard for me to trust and well... I don’t want to get hurt... not by you.”
I put my hand over hers and hold it against my chest. She’s telling me the truth. I can see the sincerity in her eyes. “Go for a ride with me?”
She starts to back up, but I don’t let her go far. “I’ve never been on a horse.”
Any other day, I’d take the time and show her the horses and teach her to ride, but right now, I just want to get away with her so we can talk. “We can take the side-by-side.”
Finally, she smiles. “I’d like that.”
I hold her hand and take her around the back of the barn and help her into a side-by-side. I get in, ignoring the stares from my brothers. We ride in silence except when I point out something to her. When we get to the creek, I stop close to a big shade tree.
“What river is that?” she asks.
I laugh and shake my head. “It’s Whiskey Creek.”
She shakes her head. “I’ll never get used to it. Back home this would be a river, here it’s a creek. It’s too big to be a creek.”
I pull a blanket from the back and lay it down under the tree. The sun is blaring down on us, and at least the tree gives us some help from the heat.
When she sits down, I sit down next to her. I don’t hesitate because there are things I need to know about Nat and Eli, and I’ve put it off enough. “Tell me about your ex-husband.”
She flinches. “Trust me, you don’t want to know. It’s not a pretty story.”
I grab her hand and pull her closer to me. “I need to know, Nat.”
She leans against my shoulder. I wish I could see her face, but if it’s easier telling me without looking at me, I’ll take it. Her voice is soft and low. “I married him when I was eighteen and pregnant with Eli. He was good to me in the beginning, but it all seemed to change. First, just rude comments, then jealousy. I thought about divorcing him for years, but I thought I should stick it out for Eli’s sake. A boy needs his father and all that.” She sounds disgusted as she continues. “Anyway, he hit me for the first time when Eli was six. I wish I could say I left him right then, but I didn’t.”
I tense up next to her and try to force myself not to react. I’m going to kill the son of a bitch. “Go on,” I grunt at her.
“He cried and apologized, and I forgave him. At least until the second time. Then I left and divorced him. Unfortunately, his family is pretty well-to-do back home, and I couldn’t fight it when he wanted partial custody. The good thing about it was that he disappeared. He was gone for almost five years. He then showed up last year, and I had to let Eli visit him. I didn’t have a choice. He never hurt Eli, so I thought it’d be okay.”