I release my grip on the armrests and lean forward, as if I, too, am about to impart a juicy little secret. “No. I can never find it in my heart to forgive him and what he did to me. He raped me, Lisa. He almost killed me. The only reason I’m alive has nothing to do with him.”
“So you believe his asking for your forgiveness is wrong?”
Nodding, I lean back into my chair, surprised at how light my heart feels after saying those words. I don’t know how many times I have to prove that Aaron Monroe spared me nothing. The only reason I’m here is because I escaped—with the help of Will. “How can I forgive him, Lisa? I can never forget what he did to me, what he did to my family. He almost killed me. His request is quite frankly ridiculous.”
Lisa’s eyebrows go way up and I’m . . . thrilled. I shocked her. And I love it. “So you’re going to hold on to this bitterness for the rest of your life? Do you really think that’s wise? After all, he did allow you to live.”
Oh, now I’m all fired up. He allowed me to live? Please. It’s like she’s purposely trying to rile me. “Do you really believe that? That he’s the one who ‘allowed’ me to live?”
Lisa’s brows are still halfway up her forehead. I’m sure she doesn’t like that I just challenged her. “I suppose not. Are you going to insist yet again that Will Monroe is the one who saved you?”
“Come on, Lisa. You know the story. Have I ever deviated from it? He is the one who saved me. Not his father. Will.” I stress the last word. I’m trembling, I’m so full of righteous anger, and when I see a sudden movement to the right, it surprises me. I turn my head.
And there he is. My Will. Gone is Ethan. All I see is Will Monroe standing in front of me, strong yet unsure. Friendly but wary, which is how he should act, considering we supposedly haven’t seen each other in years. Wearing black trousers and a blue button-down shirt, his hair neatly combed, the beard, the stubble, all of it gone so he looks fresh-faced. Young. He’s not even wearing his glasses. His handsome, masculine features are on raw display, his mouth strained, eyes incredibly dark as they watch me.
For the briefest, most fleeting moment, those eyes remind me of his father’s. They’re the same. The exact same color, shape, size. The only difference is that when Will looks at me with those eyes, it’s with kindness. Warmth. Never cruelty.
The shock—some of it feigned, the rest genuine—must show on my face because Lisa doesn’t say a word. She doesn’t stop the cameras from filming, either. They keep rolling. She wants to capture this moment forever.
So I let her.
Slowly I rise to my feet, my gaze never leaving his. I take a few steps toward him but he takes the rest, his long stride bringing him to me that much faster.
We’re standing toe to toe. Face to chest, since he’s so much taller than me. I tilt my head back, our gazes meeting, his warm and full of so much tender emotion as his eyes roam over my face, I almost want to cry.
In fact, I do. The tears form but never quite slip from my eyes and he sends me a look. One that says please don’t torture me, but it’s too late. I blink, hold my eyes closed for a moment to ward off the tears, and when I reopen them, he’s already reaching for me, my name falling from his lips in a hushed breath. He wraps me up in his arms and I hug him in return, squeezing him tight.
He feels good. Strong. He smells good, too. I’m glad I didn’t see him before we left separately for the studio. The transformation seems real. It’s so weird, but no longer do I feel like I’m in the presence of Ethan. I’m with Will, the hero from my past. The boy from my dreams, my letters, my texts, my phone calls. Those stolen moments when I watched him on TV during the trial, he’d looked so different then.
And here he is now. All grown up and holding me close. I’m being foolish, thinking like this. Delusional even. But I need to keep up the illusion, so I’m wallowing in my imaginary state. The pretense has become reality.
“You two are adorable,” Lisa says, her smug voice causing the two of us to remember where we are, and we spring apart from each other. My cheeks are warm. Will offers me a sheepish smile. “Stop taping.” She turns to the cameramen, and they do as she bids before she returns her attention to us. “That was perfect. I couldn’t have orchestrated it better! We need to get a chair for Will and then we’ll start the interview with the both of you together.”
I chance a glance in Will’s direction to find he’s watching me, a closed-mouth smile curving his lips. I smile in return, feeling shy, which is ridiculous because this man has seen me naked. He’s seen me in my most vulnerable moments, yet I feel like I don’t know him at all.
In reality, I guess I don’t. Ethan only allowed me glimpses into his life, but never the whole truth. Never the real him. What are his struggles? His dreams? Does he have a hard time sleeping at night? Do his memories haunt him? Is he happy? Does he want more?
I want to know everything I can about him.
Not Ethan, but Will.
Lisa’s busy directing her poor assistant in moving the chairs around the set and Will approaches, his expression full of concern. “Are you all right?” he asks, his voice low, for only me to hear.
I nod, not wanting her to think we’re sharing secrets. Speaking intimately will spark her interest and I really don’t want Lisa paying any more attention to us than is necessary. “I’m fine,” I whisper out of the side of my mouth.
“We were convincing, huh?” He looks proud of himself. I can’t blame him, but he probably should tone it down.
“Very.” I turn to smile at him, unable to stop myself from reaching out and running my index finger down the front of his shirt. His chest is firm and hot, and something mysterious swirls low in my belly. “You dress up really nice.”
“So do you.” His gaze roams over me once again, starting at the top of my head and wandering a path along my entire body, until I feel warm and flush, a little shaky. “You look beautiful, Katie.”
The air shifts, changes. Becomes heavier, charged with some unknown force. I’m caught up in the romanticism of it all. Two kids reunited after all this time, the connection between them just as strong as it was before, made stronger by what they’ve shared as adults.
“Thank you,” I murmur, my gaze cutting to where Lisa stands. She’s now yelling at her assistant and I wince. I would never want to feel the wrath of Lisa Swanson. She’s on her best behavior in front of us, so I can only imagine what she’s like behind closed doors. “We should probably be careful.”
“Why? This is exactly what she wants.” He leans in closer, his mouth by my ear. “She talked you up to me, before she started our interview. Told me how beautiful and poised you are, how genuine and sweet. I could only silently agree, though I did tell her I watched your earlier interview.”
“She acts like she wants to set us up.” Fear twists my insides. I’m terrified of the public reaction if people found out what we’ve shared. I’m also concerned for my sanity if we were to pick up where we left off. It’s so troubling, how easily he lied, if I let myself think about it. It means he could do it again.
“Doesn’t that work out with our plans?” He leans back when I turn to look at him, his expression impassive. Only the slight lift of his eyebrows indicates he wants an answer.
“You look different without your glasses,” I say instead, changing the subject. If he objects, he doesn’t say a word.
“I thought it best to keep them off for the day. It keeps our façade going,” he explains, squinting a little.
“Can you even see?” He usually wears his glasses all the time.
“I got contacts a while ago and just never got used to putting them in.” He smiles down at me. “Thought I’d bust them back out and give it a go. Poked my eyeballs twenty times each, but I eventually got them in.”
I smile in return, getting a little lost in his deep brown gaze, when I hear footsteps approach. A throat clears.
Lisa.
“Well, aren’t you two cozy?” I look at her, my smile fading while hers stretches wide. “Sharing secrets already?”
“Just catching up,” Will says easily, standing up straighter and taking a step toward Lisa. “Are you ready for us?”
I watch him, admiration running through my veins. He just took command of the entire situation and I’m sort of . . . turned on? No, that’s not the feeling I’m experiencing.
Or is it?
“I am.” She looks at the two of us, her gaze going from him to me. “Are you ready?”
“As we’ll ever be,” Will says smoothly.