Chapter 14 #2
At the time, he’d been confused. He’d handled it like any guy would.
He’d started chasing after other girls in an effort to forget about Silver and his feelings for her.
He’d also enlisted in the Army that year, knowing a stint in the military would help him put her out of his mind.
By the time she’d returned the following summer, after he’d graduated from high school, he’d thought he’d gotten over her. But he’d only wanted her even more.
Silver’s gaze darted between him and Ty, her eyes growing bigger with each passing moment.
Dustin released an inner sigh. Knowing Silver, she would push for an explanation until he gave one. He may as well do it sooner rather than later. “I was young and immature and didn’t understand what I was saying.”
Something flashed in her eyes. Hurt? It was gone before he could analyze it, and instead she smiled at him. “I suppose we both were pretty young and didn’t understand the realities of life.”
He breathed out his tension, relieved she was being so nice about the topic. He supposed they both had been naive to think they could kiss each other back then and be unaffected. But when she’d tipped her face up and lifted her lips, the desire for her had been stronger than he could manage.
The kiss had been passionate and had rocked him deeply.
It had overwhelmed him with so many feelings that he’d been scared of the depth of his emotion for her, scared by how much he wanted her, scared by the power she had over him.
When she’d broken the kiss and asked if they could see each other again after the summer, he’d blurted out that a relationship between them would never work.
He could picture the hurt in her eyes when he’d stepped away and let go of her.
At the time, he’d still been angry over her rejection the previous summer.
He’d almost asked her why she’d never written back if she cared for him so much.
But the words had gotten lost in the angst that had been mounting inside him.
Maybe he hadn’t wanted her to reject him again, so he’d rejected her first. Pushing her away was the only way he’d known at the time to protect himself. Or maybe the fear of losing control of himself had been so great that he hadn’t known what to do other than to let her go.
Whatever the case, he should have handled things differently, should have been kinder, shouldn’t have been so callous.
“You’re not young and immature anymore.” Ty was studying Dustin’s face as though reading his mind.
He shot another glare at his brother. “Silver is my client. Nothing more.”
Silver nodded. “We both agreed to leave the past behind us.”
Ty shrugged and then started toward the door. “Sometimes we have to walk through what happened in the past before we can leave it behind.”
Silver cocked her head, as if contemplating Ty’s statement.
Dustin had always looked up to his oldest brother, loved his family, respected them. But sometimes they were too meddling, and Ty was meddling now.
Ty paused at the door. “Enjoy your honeymoon.”
Case in point.
He winked at them, then let himself out.
For a long second, Dustin stared at the door, still too embarrassed to face Silver.
“So, you wanted to marry me?”
Of course she would want to keep discussing it.
He pivoted back to his spot at the table and the open security app. “Can we let it go?”
She was silent for only a heartbeat. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He lowered himself back into his chair. They were apparently having this conversation whether he wanted it or not. “I mentioned wanting a future with you.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“In one of the first letters.”
“Letters?”
“That I sent the fall of my senior year of high school.”
“What?” She was crawling off the bed, her expression taut with confusion. “I never got any letters from you, Dustin.”
His pulse came to a halt, and he shifted his full attention to her. “I wrote six times.”
She began to cross toward him. “Six?”
He nodded.
She didn’t stop until she was only a foot away, in a tank top and leggings that showed off her toned body. She met his gaze directly, the blue lighter than usual. “If you wrote six times, why didn’t I get a single one?”
He could see the honesty in her eyes and knew she was telling the truth. She’d never gotten his letters. “Maybe your father intercepted them and didn’t want you to communicate with me.”
She gave a curt shake of her head. “No, Daddy wasn’t like that. Besides, the housekeeper was always the one to go through the mail and separate out what Daddy would be interested in seeing.”
“Then did the housekeeper throw them away?”
“No, Ilsa would never have done that.”
“Maybe she thought they were suspicious or from a stalker.”
“She knew I liked you since I talked about you. She would have been excited for me if I’d gotten letters from you.”
“Someone else who worked for your family, then?”
With a frown, Silver pursed her lips.
Dustin’s heartbeat started up again, this time tumbling in its haste. Was it possible Silver hadn’t rejected him all those years ago after all?
He wasn’t sure what difference it would make now. It wouldn’t change their circumstances or the fact that they were two different people on two different paths of life. But maybe, at the very least, it would clear the air between them.