Aussie: A Bad Boy Second Chance Romance by Kate Dawes, Ava Catori Page A

was looking for an answer, something to make this all right. But it wasn’t there.
    Without looking at him I said, “I need to think.”
    Luke nodded. “Dawn… Never mind, I’ll go downstairs.”
    I said, my voice almost a whisper. “I think you should go.”
    I looked at his face. It was expressionless. Nothing on it. All I could feel was disbelief.
    He walked past me, then down the stairs, as he said, “Thanks for the pizza.” I couldn’t read his voice. I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or if my mind was filtering it so that’s what it sounded like.
    Jesus, this was fucked up.
    A soft voice in my head gently suggested that I had good reason not to trust him, and this was just another sign.
    ***
    About a week later, Scott called. He’d been away with his father hunting over the weekend. He was hoping we could get together for dinner. Honestly, I didn’t want to go, but I also didn’t feel like being here when my parents got home from their trip, so I agreed.
    Plus, I needed to fix this part of my life. I knew it was time.
    I’d decided I need to also admit what had happened at the club, or more so that I’d cheated. More so, I knew it was the kiss with Luke that breached his trust. I wasn’t interested in bringing up Luke’s name, and he didn’t need to know all of the details, but I needed to be straight with him.
    I couldn’t do it. Not at the restaurant. I put it off, and decided to do it when he dropped me off. I was trying to work up the courage.
    When we pulled into my driveway, I saw that my parents hadn’t gotten home yet. I looked out the window, trying to sort out my words. When I turned back toward him, he was staring at me.
    Scott said, “I could tell you weren’t yourself at dinner.”
    Great. I was so easy to read. Here it comes.
    “And,” he continued, “I know I wasn’t either.”
    I looked over at him, not expecting that last part.
    When I looked back at him, he turned away and stared straight ahead, through the windshield. “I wasn’t on a hunting trip. I was in Sacramento.”
    “Okay…”
    He let out a huge sigh after getting the words out, but there was more. “I slept with someone. I was with Kyle and Kevin, and we were out at this bar one night and it…just…it just happened.”
    As Scott confessed, I felt an odd mixture of emotions: anger, relief, regret.
    Anger that he’d cheated on me. Relief that this was over and that this was my way out without having to hurt him.
    It was obvious the relationship wasn’t working for him either. He clearly had the same lack of feelings that I did.
    Then the regret washed through my veins. I’d spent so much time and energy worrying about how to end this. He’d given me the perfect out, which led right back to relief.
    A thought suddenly occurred to me. Maybe it was an odd one, but it was symbolic of the lack of excitement and adventure in our relationship. “Remember we were going to go to Sacramento for the International Festival last year, and the year before that, but never did? That was last weekend, wasn’t it?”
    He just nodded.
    I smiled and spoke softly. “I always wanted to go to that. I still don’t know why you didn’t take me. But, hey, at least I wasn’t there over the weekend, right?”
    He arched an eyebrow, confused at my reaction. “You’re taking this a little too easily.”
    I nodded, looked forward, down the street, thinking this was the last time I’d be in his car, the last time either of us would have to pretend that we were together for all the wrong reasons.
    “I guess I am,” I turned to look at him. “I mean…Come on, Scott, you knew this was going to happen sooner or later, right? I wasn’t sure how or when things would end, but we couldn’t keep going on like we have.”
    He looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
    “This,” I said, my hand motioning back and forth between us. “This. Us. We’ve been pretending we’re in love and…we’re not. All this time,