Chapter 22

Three months later.

 

“You know you didn’t have to come out here yourself,” Caleb told Bree as she took dirt samples while knee deep in a ditch of mud. “You have staff that can handle dirty tasks like this for you. And now that you’re a member of the board, this is beneath you.”

Since returning from New Orleans a few days ago, Bree had rejoined the fold at Hart Enterprises, and to her utter delight, Duke had given equal shares to her, Jada, London, and even her wayward brother Trent, along with seats on the board.

“You forget yourself, Caleb Hart,” Bree said with a smile. “This is actually the part of the job that I like. Feeling the wind in my hair, the dirt under my feet. It’s how I get a sense of the land.”

“It’s a great piece of property,” Caleb said. “I can’t believe Grayson sold it to Duke.”

At the sound of Grayson’s name, Bree’s back stiffened as she placed the test tubes in her duffel to take back to her lab for sampling. Even though it had been over three months since she’d last seen him, Bree’s stomach still took a nosedive every time she heard Grayson’s name. She wondered if she’d always feel this way. Or if in time, the pain would lessen.

“I suppose he feels guilty,” Bree said, not turning around, “for all his underhanded dealings. Maybe it was his way of making peace with the family. But it doesn’t matter. Grayson is a non-factor.”

“I hope that isn’t true,” a deep masculine voice said from behind her, “because I haven’t forgotten about you, Bree. Not by a long shot.”

Bree glanced up and saw Grayson smiling down at her. She hadn’t seen him in months, but he looked nearly the same—bald with a perpetual five o’clock shadow. But his jeans and T-shirt gave away that he’d lost some weight. And dark circles rung his penetrating eyes. Had he been as miserable as she’d been all these months?

Well, good. He deserves it.

“What are you doing here?” Bree said, hating that once again she was meeting him in less than preferred circumstances. Her jeans and T-shirt were plastered in mud and grime, but she didn’t care. She was long past caring what Grayson thought about her. He’d shown her exactly how he’d felt when he’d used her to destroy her father.

Grayson stared at Bree. Three long months of not seeing her, smelling her, having her lips on his had devastated him. She looked different. Skinnier. Her once lush behind was more slender, but she was still beautiful. He couldn’t believe she was back and he could finally see her. Hear her voice.

He’d thought about going to New Orleans dozens of times once he’d discovered her whereabouts from Levi and forcing her to talk to him. He’d started dozens of texts and emails in which he begged her to give him a chance so he could explain and hold her. But how could he explain what he had done? And he doubted his alpha male personality would be greeted with anything other than contempt because she’d been so hurt by his actions. He’d hoped that eventually she would want to rail at him, call him names, say anything, but in three months, his phone had been silent.

Radio silent.

So he’d taken Arash’s advice and waited. Waited for her to come back . . . he hoped to him.

But it hadn’t been easy. He couldn’t eat. He couldn’t sleep. He would have stayed in his study with a bottle of Scotch and drowned himself in his sorrows if it hadn’t been for Cameron. His little brother needed him. And his mother’s condition had worsened until she’d finally passed away a month ago. Her death had been hard on all of them, especially Cameron, but Grayson and Sonya were there for him, comforting him. Cameron had asked about Bree and when she was coming to see him, but Grayson had changed the topic.

He’d wanted to call Bree then, but Grayson didn’t feel he had the right to. So he’d grieved alone, putting one foot in front of the other, the last for Cameron’s sake, until finally the hurt began to ache a little less.

And then a glimmer of hope appeared. Levi had heard rumors that Bree was returning to Hart Enterprises, and thus Dallas. Grayson would get a chance to plead his case and beg for her forgiveness. He wasn’t going to waste it. Not now.

But she was staring back at him. Her eyes were cold and indifferent, and the candle of hope had almost gone out. But he wouldn’t let it.

Bree meant everything to him. She was the center of his world.

Grayson offered Bree his hand as he’d done the first time they’d met and just like then, Bree ignored it and climbed out of the ditch herself. When she did, she glanced around. “Where’s he going?” She saw Caleb heading back to his truck.

“He left so we could have time alone.”

Bree snorted. “For what? I have nothing to say to you, Grayson.” She started walking away, but he grabbed her elbow.

“Well that’s too bad, because I have an awful lot to say to you and I’ve been waiting months to say it.”

“I don’t care!” Bree tried to leave, but Grayson had a grip on her and he wasn’t budging.

“I don’t believe that, Bree Hart,” Grayson responded softly. “I believe you care too much, which is why you left Dallas and ran away.”

Bree snatched her arm away and this time she won out. “I didn’t run.” Her eyes flashed with anger at his audacity. “I left because you hurt me.”

“Partly, but you were scared too.”

“Scared?”

“Of how you felt about me,” Grayson said, “because you’d fallen in love with me.”

“Love! You wouldn’t know the first thing about love unless it bit you in the ass,” Bree responded hotly.

Grayson’s laugh was scornful.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me.” Bree pointed her finger at him. “Nothing about this is funny.”

Grayson’s face tightened. “You’re right, Bree. Nothing about this entire situation is funny. And I need you to hear me when I say this: I’m sorry.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry,” Grayson repeated the sentiment. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I’m sorry for manipulating you into working for me. I’m sorry for going behind your back and plotting revenge against your father and your family business. I’m sorry for all of it.”

“That’s a helluva lot of sorries.”

Grayson nodded. “I know that, but I can’t say it enough because I mean it, Bree. I’m sorry for hurting you and for throwing your love back in your face.”

“I never said I loved you.”

“You didn’t have to, sweetheart,” Grayson said, and he reached out to stroke her cheek.

“Don’t,” Bree said, but she didn’t step away. It was like she was a boat, and even though there was a strong current she was battling against, he was slowly tugging her back to shore.

His shore.

Grayson came closer toward her until they were only inches away. “I know you love me,” Grayson murmured. “I saw it, felt it when we were together, because I felt it too.”

“What are you saying?”

“I think I fell in love with you, Bree, the day I saw you in that ditch,” Grayson admitted. “I didn’t know what the emotion was back then. I just thought I was enamored or bewitched by you and once we had sex, it would poof”—he snapped his fingers—“all go away. But it didn’t. It only deepened and became stronger. So strong that I didn’t want to let you go. But the longer I continued the lies, the deeper and harder I fell.”

Grayson tipped her chin upward so his dark eyes could stare into hers. “I love you, Bree.” He wrapped his arms around her.

She shook her head as tears spilled down her cheeks. “No, no.” She stepped backward and out of his embrace. “I can’t do this. I left so I could get over you, not have you draw me back in.”

Grayson smiled. “And how’s that been working out for you, sweetheart? Because it certainly hasn’t worked for me. I love you as much now as I did back then. Maybe even more so, because I realize what I lost when you walked out of my life. And I want you back, Bree.”

“We can’t go back.” Bree shook her head as she glared at Grayson with burning, reproachful eyes. “There’s no going back. You broke us. You broke me. My trust and my faith in you are gone!”

“Please.” Grayson reached out and grasped her hands. He faced a lightless future without Bree in it. “Tell me how to go forward then. I’ll do anything. I just want another chance with you, Bree. A future. Please, baby, I can’t lose you. You’re the only woman I dream about at night, and you’re the only woman I want to wake up to in the morning.”

Bree’s heart warred with her head as the torment of the last few months came roaring back at her. Her head told her to let him go and move on with her life with another man she could trust, but her heart couldn’t let her. “I don’t know, Grayson. I honestly don’t know.” Her teeth began to chatter, and her entire body trembled as she fought with her emotions.

“Then I’ll wait for however long it takes to win you back,” Grayson stated, squeezing her hands. “I’ll wait for you because I love you, Bree, and I want to marry you. And one day if you let me, I promise I’ll spend the rest of my days making it up to you. I just need you to forgive me and give me a second chance.”

Bree spun around, tears blinding her eyes. She glanced over the land and its vastness. She couldn’t believe Grayson was here and saying everything she so desperately wanted to hear, but she was afraid to believe him. But the alternative, letting him go, was far worse.

When Bree finally turned around, her eyes were misty with tears. She murmured, “We can start over, but there can be no more lies between us, Grayson. Not now. Not ever.”

“Oh thank God.” Grayson sighed loudly and rushed toward her. His hands slipped up her arms, bringing her closer to him.

“Wait.” She began to push him away. “I need you to make peace with Duke.”

“That’s already done.”

Bree relaxed slightly but raised a disbelieving brow.

“I met with Duke a few months ago when you first left. We talked about the past, and I’ve made my peace with what happened with my father.”

“You did?”

Grayson nodded. “I knew that if I didn’t find a way to bridge the gap between us, that you and I”—he pointed to Bree—“would never have a future.”

Bree nodded. “That was very wise, but you should know that I can’t marry you, Grayson, at least not now. You’ll have to work on rebuilding my trust.”

“And I will gladly wait for that day.”

“As will I,” Bree responded with a smile, “because if you ask me again someday, I might say yes.”

Grayson pulled Bree into his arms, grabbed her cheeks, and reclaimed her lips. The surprisingly tender kiss sent shivers through Bree. It reminded her that she was his, now and forever.