Cowboy Desires: The Complete Collection by Aubrey Skye Read Free Book Online

of cut-off shorts and a tank top. I pulled my hair out of its knot and redid it in a long braid down my back. Since it was close to dinnertime, I headed downstairs to find something to eat. I was starving since I had skipped lunch, so I made up a plate of crackers and cheese. Then I grabbed some wine out of the fridge. As I was pouring it, there was a knock at the front door. I figured it was probably my sister, so I yelled out some profanities and told her I would be right there. But it wasn’t her at all.
    When I opened the door, my heart stopped and I couldn’t breathe. This was a face that I hadn’t seen in over a year. A face I thought I may never see again. I had no words, and I didn’t know if I wanted to punch him or throw my arms around him. He looked the same as the last time I saw him, and the butterflies still swirled in my stomach. But I was frozen in place with my hand on the doorknob.
    “Jamie. You are a sight for sore eyes. Even more beautiful that I remember.”
    He was speaking, but he wasn’t moving. He looked just as unsure of what to do as I felt. The dark hair. The blue eyes. The tall, thin frame. I had dreamed of him so many times and planned what I would say if I ever got the chance, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. When I finally found my words, they weren’t what I had planned.
    “Mason. What are you doing here?”
    I felt my voice start to break, and I had wanted to put up a strong front. I didn’t want him to have the satisfaction of knowing what he did to me. I didn’t want him to see my heart breaking all over again from his mere presence on my porch.
    “I missed you. I have so much to say. I was a coward for leaving and for staying away so long. Please let me in. I won’t ask you for anything. I just want to talk to you. To try to explain.”
    For some reason, I stepped back and let him come in. Part of me knew I would regret it, but my body worked on its own. It worked from familiarity and memory. From so many sweet moments shared with this person who was almost a stranger at this point. I followed him into the living room, taking a big swig of my wine. We sat down across from each other.
    “Why are you here now? After all this time? I waited and hoped and prayed and called. I never got a word in return. You just vanished completely. You knew what happened, and you left me to deal with it alone. I’m still scarred. I’m still sad. But I was finally ready to move on.”
    “There hasn’t been a minute that I haven’t thought about you. I worried about you every day. I wanted to call or text, but I was scared. I changed my number because I knew if I heard from you, I would come running back. I couldn’t face what happened. I couldn’t get over it. I wanted it as much as you did. I figured once that part of us was lost, we would never be able to make it together. I couldn’t sit there for another second and watch you falling apart. I knew you had your sisters and that they would help you. But I couldn’t take the pain. I was an asshole. But I love you so much. I never stopped loving you, Jamie. You have my heart. No one else ever will.”
    “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have left me when I needed you most. You wouldn’t have walked out of the hospital room and never come back. You would have sat there and held my hand and been there for me after the surgery. You would have cried with me instead of running. You would have gotten through it with me and we would have been stronger for it. Do you have any idea what I went through alone?”
    “You weren’t alone. You had your family. I wouldn’t have left you there if I didn’t know that.”
    “I never told anyone. I waited and waited for you to come take me home the next day, and when you didn’t show up, I called a cab. I couldn’t bear to tell my sisters what happened, so I pretended I had the flu and holed myself up for days. Then I closed up my heart and faced the world. I tried to get in touch with you, but