Page 35 of Worth the Risk

“-and then you broke that off, but she never seemed to think it was really over. She was always all over you, and you allowed it. Then, you dated me in secret. Maybe that had nothing to do with the job. Maybe it was because you were never sure about us.”

All softness was gone from her expression, and she looked hurt. The way I’d made her look so often lately.

“You really think that?”

“I don’t know what you think anymore. I thought you lo-”

She cut herself off, shaking her head. Her arms wrapped around her body, and she shifted her eyes to the side. “I thought you cared about me. Then, you dumped me like I was nothing to you. Just decided you didn’t want me anymore. So, how am I supposed to believe that you want me?”

“I’ve been trying to prove it to you. Don’t let one stupid text that I didn’t ask for ruin it.”

But she was already backing away from me, her spine curved and her head hung low. Like she was weighed down by all the shit I put her through.

“It’s not just one text, Ford. She sent that picture because she believes that there’s a chance of getting back together with you. Because despite the fact that you’ve been in a relationship for the past six months, you’ve never told her that it’s not happening. You’ve let her think that you’re open to being with her. Honestly, she’s not even the real problem here. Because her entitlement comes from your apathy.”

With that, she turned away and stormed toward her bungalow. I wanted to follow her more than anything, to plead my case, but I didn’t because she was absolutely right. I’d left the door open for Delilah. Not because I hoped she’d walk through it but because it was easier than being honest.

Fuck.

I wanted to scream.

No, I wanted to go back in time six months and tell myself not to make so many damn mistakes. That being with Zoey was something to be proud of and to hell with the job if getting it required sacrificing her happiness.

But there was no going back. All I could do was change going forward. Because damn it, I did know what I wanted. I had a piss-poor way of showing it, but it was true.

I wanted Zoey’s giggles that made me feel lighter than air. I wanted to give her a proper proposal and have her say yes this time. I wanted to have a family with her, one that was nothing like the ones we grew up with. There would be love and support and happiness that came from being together. Not from a job.

I turned away from the resort and headed to the beach. I needed to walk and think about what to do next. Because I was determined to give both of us that future. It might have felt like it was impossible right now, but I wouldn’t give up. Not now, not ever.

Chapter Thirteen: Ford

The loud calls of seagulls woke me up, and it took about two seconds for me to realize that I’d made a big mistake last night.

Not the argument with Zoey—although that was awful.

No, my mistake was walking to the beach, sitting down in the sand to watch the dark waves and think, and then… falling asleep.

Or maybe passing out would be a better way to describe it.

There was sand in my nose, in my mouth, and down my pants. The sun was already beating down on me as I sat up, and there was a crick in my neck that made pain shoot up the back of my head when I turned it to the right.

It seemed that I couldn’t stop making bad decisions.

Getting to my feet, I brushed as much sand as possible off my clothing and stumbled back to the resort. It wasn’t far, which was good because I needed to get to my room as soon as possible for a shower and some Tylenol. Rinsing the gritty sand out of my mouth was also pretty high on my priority list.

I was glad when I didn’t run into anyone I knew on the way to my room. I didn’t want to try to explain why I slept on the beach last night.

One hour later, after a hot shower and a cup of black coffee from room service, I felt slightly more human.

My neck still hurt, but the pain relievers I took helped a bit with that. My stomach was uneasy—understandable after all that tequila—but I didn’t think I was going to be sick. It was a good thing too, because Ryan sent me a message with a reminder about the hike everyone was taking today.

Walking around in the rainforest definitely did not sound like a good time after the shitty morning I’d had, but I wasn’t going to skip it because Zoey would probably be there.

Although, I had no idea if she’d want to talk to me after last night.

I couldn’t believe that Delilah had sent me a nude photo like that. She’d never done anything like that before and while I knew she was getting bolder in her pursuit of me, I hadn’t seen that coming.

But I knew that it was my fault.