Except, at this point, she wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore. Everything she’d thought she understood about her world had been turned upside down. But because of that, this wasn’t the time to make rash decisions. She needed to think logically.
“You’re right.” She would have to buck up and figure out what, if anything, Nick had to do with this.
“When’s the last time you talked to him?”
“It was before the Honduras op. He had to give the ultimate sign-off for me to go, but it was a purely business conversation. No-nonsense. In fact, it’s been like that since the initial explosion of anger after I broke it off.”
“Then the sooner you can connect with him, the better.”
“I know where he likes to hang out after work.”
“Then we’ll check it out.”
She shook her head. “I need to talk to him alone.”
“That’s fine, but wherever you’re going, I’m going with you.”
“All right.” She knew he had a point, but having him involved in the conversation would be a nonstarter.
“Are we going to talk any more about the elephant in the room?” he asked.
She’d wondered how long it would be before he brought that up. She looked at him. “I’m still in the processing phase.”
“I don’t blame you. I know I can never say I’m sorry enough.”
She’d tossed and turned last night, going over every bit of their conversation. Questions still loomed large in her mind. “Was the cheating thing really the only way you thought you could break up with me?”
He rubbed a hand down his face. “I needed a deal breaker, and that’s the only thing I could come up with. I was a little worried you still might forgive me because that’s the type of loving person you are. That’s why I tried to make the story egregious and act like I wasn’t sorry. If I had shown true remorse, I thought that there might be a possibility you would want us to push through it.”
She wondered if he was right. Would she have taken him back? “That confused me so much.” She’d cried herself to sleep so many nights because of his callous attitude. Knowing now that it was all a farce to try to give her what she had thought she wanted more than anything—the job at the Agency—tore her up.
He took her hand and held it tightly. “The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you—just the opposite. But I did hurt you, and it impacted you even more than I thought it would, and for that, again, I’m sorry.”
There were some important things she needed to get off her chest. “I accept your apology, and from here on out, you don’t need to keep apologizing to me. I understand why you made the choice you did. I remember clearly that at that time all I did was talk about how excited I was to start my CIA career. And since I could only tell a select number of people, that meant you heard it even more. I don’t place blame on you, but I do place it on the Agency. They shouldn’t have thought so little of me that they had to play such ridiculous games. Games that ended up irreparably impacting my entire life.” She paused. “God has a larger plan at work in this, and that’s what I’m trying to focus on.”
Hunter squeezed her hand. “I’m not so sure about God’s plan, but I am glad you were brought back into my life.” He took her other hand in his and held them both. “Layla, the timing of this isn’t ideal, but if we’re going to have total honesty between us, then I should tell you that I have never stopped loving you.”
Her breath caught at his bold admission. She couldn’t find words. Her eyes started to fill with tears. There was so much emotion bubbling up inside her. After all these years, the dam was about to burst.
Hunter pulled her into his arms. It was like he understood what she needed. And as he held her, so many memories came flooding back like a raging sea. How much she had loved him. Their plan for a life together. How the two of them just made sense. But now, over five years later, here they were again. A different time and place, and she’d gone through so much in life and lived to see many things that she’d never thought possible. She’d grown up in so many ways and was much more mature now than she had been back then. There had also been a number of mistakes and ups and downs that all led her to where they were standing.
Her life now in danger, God had somehow worked His almighty plan to bring Hunter back to her, and she felt like maybe this was more than just Hunter walking with her through this trial. Maybe, just maybe, this could be more.
He lifted her chin, and they looked into each other’s eyes. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but she couldn’t. Not just yet. But he knew her well enough to know that she still had feelings for him. There was no doubt. The chemistry between them still burned brighter than the summer sun.
She held her breath, waiting to see if he was going to lean in and kiss her, but he didn’t. Instead, he pulled her closer and tightened his grip around her.
In that moment, she felt content for the first time in years. Even though there was so much havoc surrounding her, she was ready for a new chapter in her life. And she prayed that Hunter might be a part of it.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
On Tuesday, Zane and Cass spent a long day at the DEA office, trying to get some work done. They still had other active files and investigations that needed their attention,
