So all he could do was sit there, keep his mouth shut, and wait for her to do . . . something.
She set down her sketchpad, the easel from under her arm, and slid her backpack to the ground. “Hi,” she said in a small voice.
It was like gargling with gravel, but he managed to get a return “Hi” out of his bone-dry throat.
“I did sketches on the boardwalk today. For money. It went really well.”
God, he was proud of her. Sitting up a little straighter, Flynn said, “Of course it did. Your talent is amazing.”
A smile bloomed across Sierra’s face, and pink raced across her cheeks. “See? That’s why I wanted to come here. When I finished,all I wanted to do was race over and tell you how well it went. Because I knew you’d be supportive. I knew you’d understandwhat a huge step it was for me.”
Cautiously, Flynn asked, “What made you change your mind, decide to make money off your art again?”
“A lot of things.” She held up a hand and ticked off points on her fingers. “The girls reminded me that I should make moneyoff of something I love, something I’m good at. The marshal reminded me that pretty soon, they’ll close the door on that horriblechapter of my life, and it shouldn’t haunt me anymore. And you, Flynn, most of all. Your belief in me gave me the strengthto do it.”
Her words shocked him. Sierra was acting normal, too. Like they hadn’t fought. Like she hadn’t dumped him. Like he hadn’tbroken her heart and trust—even if accidentally. “I’m glad I could help.” It was all Flynn let himself say. He didn’t darepush at all for more. He didn’t deserve it.
As if noticing it for the first time, she did a double take at the bookcase. Walked around it, stepping over the can of whitewashand the paintbrush at its corner. “Is this for me?”
“Yes.” God, they were being so careful with each other. Was this what it was going to be like from now on?
“Given how our fight ended on Sunday, I’m shocked that you kept working on it.”
Aaaand her surprise shocked him right back. In fact, it propelled Flynn right out of his seat. “Why?”
Still not looking at him, Sierra stood on tiptoe to run her fingertips across the whisper-soft grain of the wood he’d sandedthis morning. “What if I don’t forgive you?”
As if that made any difference whatsoever. Aside from how it hurt worse than a kick to the balls. She was imprinted on hisheart now. Hell, she was his whole heart. Even if it made her mad again, Flynn had to speak the truth. “That won’t stop me from loving you.”
At that, Sierra turned. A fat tear wobbled in the corner of each eye. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
“It is?” Flynn hadn’t let himself hope she’d change her mind.
He’d given up on hope of getting what he wanted out of life years ago, when McGinty laid down the law on every aspect of it. Until WITSEC, weirdly enough. Until movinghere, to a town where the people refused to let you sulk in silence. Where everyone did their own thing and was accepted forit. Where he’d discovered how much he liked doing a job he’d sure as hell never planned for.
Where the gift of Sierra’s love made him believe in the future again.
This time, he knew he’d ultimately be okay, with his brothers and his job and his friends.
But the thing was, he wanted more than okay. He wanted Sierra. He wanted, as much as it made him sound like a Disney fucking princess, a happily ever after with her.
Sierra knelt on the grass. Then she lifted the cover on her sketchpad, flipped to the back, and tore out a piece of paper.“I brought you something. A peace offering. An I’m so sorry I was judgmental gift.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“It is,” she insisted. “It took me a little time to come around to it, but the fact is that you didn’t do anything that Ididn’t do first. I lied about my name. So did you. I lied about my past. So did you.”
“The past you lied about was a god-awful scam you got bamboozled into. A crime you witnessed, but didn’t commit. My past involvedbeing a sworn member of an organization that committed crimes and hurt people. What we did wasn’t the same at all.”
“It was. You never committed a crime, Flynn. And—what matters the most—you didn’t want to be bad. You just stood by and watched, like me. I kept my secrets to keep myself safe. You did it to keep your brotherssafe. Most importantly, we finally shared them because we cared enough to be honest with each other.”
It all sounded too good to be true. It sounded like Sierra wasn’t mad at him anymore. But he knew, deep down, that he didn’tdeserve it. “That sounds a lot like you giving me an out.”
“I’m not. Because what you did, lying to me, was wrong. Just like what I did, lying to you, was wrong.” Those big blue eyeslooked up at him, shining with tears, but also shining with all the care and tenderness he was used to seeing in her gaze.“But I’m forgiving you, Flynn.”
“Are you sure that’s smart?” He had to be certain she meant it. Certain that Sierra had considered all the facts. Becausehe couldn’t take it if she changed her mind in two days. Or by Labor Day. Or ever.
“I thought I was being smart by breaking up with you. To protect myself from the potential of repeating a mistake. To protectmy heart. But there’s nothing to protect without you. Everything is better when I share it with you. I don’t want to be with someone with a clean record, an upstanding citizen. I want tobe with you, Flynn. I need you in my life, by my side. So I forgive you. And I hope that you forgive me, too. For lying to you, and forwhat I put you through these past
