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His sigh was beleaguered “Dahlia, I’ to say I’e that, no ry with you But o Please”

It was the please that did it

Even though I iined my heart was about to be bruised and pounded by whatever came out between us, I knew I had to have this conversation if either of us were to move on

Flicking open es, I texted both my dad and Bailey to let them knoas at Michael’s and I was okay Done, I shoved aze “I’ll need that coffee, then”

His features relaxed and he nodded, gesturing for o ahead of hi, and I settled down at the kitchen table Michael took the seat next tobut his face

It was hard

The T-shirt he wore did nothing to disguise his physique, and I wished we could hit a replay button on the scene in the bedroo his body

His hands curled around his coffee ly studied the movement I’d always loved Michael’s hands Maybe it was the artist in e and -knuckled, and graceful It was a sexy co the feel of his hands all over my body

“Why?” His voice was hard again It drew my eyes from his hands to his face There was so much turmoil in his expression “Why did you leave and not come back?”

As difficult as it was to tell him, I knew I had to He deserved to know that I hadn’t just abandoned hi a wave of nausea in my stomach

Wrapping both hands aroundheat “I pushed everyone away after Dillon died Not only you I don’t knohat iven ain, but we’ll never know”

He opened his , but I cut him off

“Before you argue about that …” I couldn’t look at hih me Since I enty years old, I’d wanted Michael Sullivan to lovetime that if he knew that my own mother couldn’t love me, he’d question why Start to find reasons not to lovehis fas up inside me over the years It was time to explain

“Dahlia?” Michael’s eyes narrowed in concern “What a here?”

“Myin oddary because I wanted to be past it I wanted to make peace with the fact thatafter Dillon died, my dad was out There was no one in the house but Mom and me I was in my bedroom …” Grief thickenedon her bed, trying to s were sitting there waiting for her to pick them up, to use them, to put them on And it would never happen I had her brooch in my hand You kno she loved roses, so a fewwent to hell, I’d le rose in bloom She’d loved it Wore it a lot”