Chapter 43
Rob looked at her expectantly. ‘If she’ll have you’ her brother had said, giving his blessing. She was shocked her brother would do so. He didn’t like anyone outside of his own teammates and girlfriend.
“I’ll give you two a moment to talk.” Liam slid his hand from her and stepped away to make a call. Probably to the police.
“Thank you for saving me.” Again.
“You were holding your own pretty well.”
“The lessons paid off. Though if it hadn’t been for you two—” She left the rest unspoken; she didn’t want to think about what could have happened.
“June…” He stepped toward her then seemed to rethink and remained where he was. “I’m sorry.”
“Do you think ‘I’m sorry’ can fix what you did?” Not even close.
“No, I know I’ve hurt you several times now, and this is probably the worst thing I did.” He wasn’t going to get any argument from her. “The guys warned me several times to let it go, and I refused.”
“Well, now you know the great mystery. Are you happy now?”
“No, because in knowing, it cost me everything important to me.”
“Lovey words are not going to work this time,” she stated, having to remain firm. She’d caved last time, but not this time. She wasn’t going to let sweet words hold any sway over her.
“I’m not trying to sweet talk you, only tell you the truth.”
“I appreciate that, but it’s over, Rob. I can’t trust you or anything you say to me anymore.”
“I’ll leave you be then. Give you some time.”
“My decision won’t change. I—” June took a deep breath and forged on, “don’t want to see you ever again.”
Rob nodded, his eyes twinkling with unshed tears. “Take care of yourself, June.” He turned and walked away, and June felt her heart splinter, but she refused to call him back.
“You’re just going to let him go?” Liam said, coming back up to her and watching Rob walking away.
“Yes, he lied to me. Several times in fact,” she said firmly, more for herself than to him.
Liam stepped in front of her, blocking her view of Rob’s retreating form. “June, I know you’re angry at him. Part of me is too, but given his profession, can you blame him?”
“How can you take his side?” Since when did he and Rob become chummy?
“I’m not. I’ll always take your side, but you know there are always two sides to every story.”
“You used to tell me three. Yours, mine, and the truth somewhere in the middle.” He gave her a knowing look as if she had just answered her own question.
“I shouldn’t have forced you to keep my secrets.”
“You didn’t,” she assured him. “I did so willingly.”
“But at what cost? What about the next guy who comes into your life? You go above and beyond to protect my secrets. You don’t take pictures of us together. You hardly mention names. I appreciate all you’ve done, but I fear it’s interfered with the rest of your life.”
June hadn’t thought about that. Rob had been her first real relationship. Would protecting her brother’s secrets always cause a strain in a relationship?
“Think if the roles were reversed. If you thought Rob could be a danger to you, would you look into him?”
June glared up at her brother. Fine, he’d made his point. “That doesn’t mean I should forgive him. What about the next time I don’t answer a question a certain way? Do I have to worry about more background checks or something?”
“I think he’s learned his lesson. If it makes you feel better, Nick said after his initial inquiry to him, Rob hadn’t contacted him. I think he was telling the truth when he said it no longer mattered.”
That went a small way in easing the betrayal, but that didn’t mean she would be so quick to forgive this time. There was the old saying: ‘Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.’ She would not be so easily fooled again.
“You love him, June.”
“That doesn’t mean I should forgive him,” she repeated.
“Maybe make him work for it a little, but don’t hang it over his head.
We guys tend to do stupid things around the women we love.
” Like Liam keeping her a secret from Cora and causing their break up.
“Just think about this: Can you live the rest of your life knowing you let him walk away, or will you always regret it?”
June hated it when her brother gave her sage advice. It wasn’t often, but every once in a while, he gave it.
“Then my work here is done. I’m headed home in the morning.”
“So soon?” He’d just gotten here.
“Now you want me to stay?” He chuckled, knowing the answer. “You two have some talking to do. I expect to see you next month.”
“Why; what’s next month?”
“Cora and I set a date. I’ll send you the official invite as soon as I get back home.”
“Finally?” she squealed excitedly. There was finally going to be a wedding.
“Finally. So, I expect to see the two of you there.”
“Deal.”
“Good, now go get him.” Liam nudged her even as she was already running down the street after Rob.
It didn’t take her long to catch up with him. He had been walking at a snail’s pace, looking like a sad lost little puppy with his head down and his shoulders slumped.
“Rob,” she called out.
He froze in mid step and spun around, his eyes widening in shock at seeing her. She saw the wet streaks on his cheeks from crying. He didn’t bother trying to hide the tears from her either. “Yes?”
June slowed down and stopped two feet away from him. “You hurt me and betrayed my trust twice now.”
“I know.” He looked downcast.
“You went behind my back and even disregarded the advice of others.”
Rob didn’t say anything.
“Do you regret it?”
“I do. Like I said, the knowing wasn’t worth the cost. I should have thought of that before I continued down the path, and when I got back from overseas, the knowing no longer mattered. Only you did. I could live with the secrets.”
“Do you swear never to do anything like that again?” His gaze rose to meet hers. A look of confusion in them. “Do you swear never to do a background check on me or anyone connected to me again?” she clarified.
“Yes,” he responded without hesitation.
She took a step closer to him but stayed just out of arms’ reach. “I will forgive you under one condition.”
“What?” he asked, looking eager to give her whatever she wanted. If she asked him to harm himself to prove himself, he probably would. Not that she wanted him to do that.
“Love me for the rest of my life.”
Rob reared back as if she had slapped him. “You’ll forgive me and give me another chance as long as I love you?” he repeated as if he needed the clarification.
“Liam helped me realize that I was just as much at fault for leading you to do the background check to begin with. Though I still don’t think that was the right way to go about things.”
Rob shook his head. “You are not at fault in the least.”
“You even said it was my lack of answers that drove you to it,” she explained, disapproving of his claim otherwise.
“So yes, I am also to blame. I can’t be mad at something I caused.
So will you accept my apology and—” June didn’t get anything else out because Rob had closed the distance and kissed her as if his life depended on it.
“Love me,” she managed to finish her sentence a moment later when he let her up for air.
“Forever,” he vowed.