He’d mishandled this whole thing. He should’ve been more forthcoming from the beginning. Now it seemed like he’d been trying to hide something. Maybe he had been. Maybe his feelings for Sophie were returning. But the same obstacle still blocked their path. Her life was here and his was not. Besides, forgiveness was one thing, trust another. And he wasn’t sure if she’d ever trust him again—or even if she should.

Tiffany released a hard sigh. “I know we’re not exclusive or anything but—”

“No, you have every right—I should’ve been up-front with you from the beginning. It’s my fault.” He owed her some kind of explanation. “Truth of the matter is, I did Sophie wrong when we were together, and I need to do the right thing by her this time around. I hope you can understand that.”

Waves crashed on the shore, and a seagull soared overhead, letting out a piercing cry.

“I don’t have a hold on you, Aiden. You’re free to date other women if you want, but if you are, I’d like to know it.”

For all he knew, Tiffany was dating other men. Why did he feel okay about that? Why did he almost wish she were? He gave his head a shake.

“I’m not dating Sophie. I know this is a weird situation. I plan to stay just until she can get around on her own, then I’ll catch a flight home.”

A brief pause followed before she said, “All right then. Thank you for being honest with me.”

He let out a slow breath at the absence of tension in her voice. They talked a few more minutes, then said good-bye.

That wasn’t fun but it could’ve gone much worse. Aiden stood up and slipped quietly back into the house. Warmth spread through him at the sight of Sophie still passed out on the sofa, dark eyelashes feathering the pale skin of her cheeks. His fingers itched to stroke the softness of her face.

She’d taken a pain pill and had wanted to head straight to the shop once they’d changed clothes. But that foot needed rest, so he’d stalled until she drifted off.

From the coffee table her phone buzzed an incoming text, and the notification appeared on the screen. Hey, Sis! Having a great time! Hey, I hate to bother you, but could you—?

The notification ended there, and Aiden rolled his eyes. He liked Jenna. At one time he’d thought of her as his little sister. He liked Seth, too, but they’d both grown to depend on Sophie too much. Taking advantage of their sister had become a bad habit.

He toyed with the idea of letting Jenna know her sister was down for the count. But Sophie wouldn’t thank him for interfering.