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were.”
    “Carls,” he said, getting up and sitting next to me. “Look at me, please?”
    I looked toward him and saw hurt flash in his eyes. How did he get to be hurt? He was the one with the fiancée. I was the one who’d disgraced herself sleeping with an engaged man. In this situation, I was the one wh o should be hurting—which I was, deeply. He got to return to Maggie and obviously wouldn’t tell her about us, so I was the only one with anything to lose.
    “Carls, after all these years away, I have never let go of my love for you. I’ve had relationships here and there , but nothing has held a candle to you and me. I’m not saying leaving was a mistake—it helped me get my career off the ground, and as young as I was, I was naïve about the effect it would have on me. On you. But I’m home now, and if you’ll have me, I’m home to stay.” He looked me in the eye the entire time he spoke.
    How could I trust anything he said? Wh at was supposed to happen now—we’d had drunken sex, and as hot as it was, it wasn’t enough to make him leave Maggie. What right did I have wishing he would leave her? Come to think of it, what right did he have to act as though she didn’t exist?
    “I never stopped loving you either , Grey, but it isn’t that simple now. You can’t waltz back into my life after ten years and expect to pick up where we left off. Plus, you came home for your Aunt Lizzie, remember?”
    “Yeah , I did, but thankfully she’s getting better now, and it’s time to confront the ghosts of my past—the way we ended has haunted me ever since. I know better now. I want us to work, and if you do too, then there’s nothing to stop us.” He sounded so sincere.
    I got up and pulled things from my wardrobe to get dressed, hoping he would get the hint that I did not want to have this conversation.
    “Can you turn your back, please?” I asked, a little irritated that he watched me so intently.
    He did as I asked and I quickly threw my clothes on. I picked up my clothes from the night before and threw them in the hamper in the corner. I sat down at my vanity and picked through my makeup bag, needing to do something to quiet my nagging conscience.
    “What errands do you have to run? Anything I can help with?” Grey still ignored the elephant in the room.
    “Grocery shopping, popping in to see Jodie on her shift at the restaurant—a few other things.” I ignored the elephant, too.
    “Can we meet for lunch at least? Please? I’m not going anywhere , Carls. I’ll stay in town as long as it takes to win your heart and your trust,” he said as he sat on my bed and watched me put my makeup on.
    “I promised Jodie lunch, sorry.” I tried to act nonchalant but knew he could see through the façade. He may not know exactly what was wrong but he knew there was something I was holding in. Honestly, he should have known exactly what the matter was but it seemed he either didn’t have a conscience or he ignored it.
    I got up and pulled a pair of boots from the bottom of my wardrobe. I pulled them on and left the bedroom. Grey followed me into the lounge as I found my purse and car keys. Neither of us spoke for a few minutes.
    “I’m not leaving until I get an answer , Carls,” Grey finally broke the silence.
    “An answer to what?” I asked as I made my way to the front door, Grey hot on my heels. He’d put his top and shoes on at some point and grabbed his jacket from the floor by the coat rack where it had landed last night.
    “Us, Carls. Can there be an ‘us’ again?” He sounded like he was not above pleading. I looked into his eyes and my resolve faltered momentarily.
    “Sorry , Grey, but I’m not getting into that right now. I really do have to get things taken care of before lunch with Jodie,” I replied, hoping he would take the hint to shut up and leave.
    “Okay, well , I need to know if I can see you again—answer me that, at least?” he asked, a hint of pleading coming through