Cody’s quick to grab my wrist. It’s not so much that it hurts or that it jostles me. The firm grasp only keeps me from moving away, but it’s the desperation in his touch that has my eyes pinned to his and my breath stolen.

My heart races.

“I fucked up, Delilah,” he says just beneath his breath. His ever-confident tone is shaken and his gaze falls before mine. Glancing behind me, an act that sends a chill down my spine, knowing that Marcus could be and probably is watching.

My shoulders shudder with the cold breeze as I wrench my hand away, although my flats are firmly planted where they stand.

“I know he spoke to you,” Cody whispers even though, to his knowledge, there’s no one here to eavesdrop. The breeze blows through the tree leaves and another chill runs through me.

Ever the gentleman, Cody removes his jacket, but he doesn’t lay it across my shoulders. Instead he offers it as if he’s not sure that I’ll take it.

In a formfitting Henley, snug on his shoulders, he looks back at me with a softness in his blue eyes. “Please, even if you’re angry.” My pulse weakens watching him struggle in front of me. His eyes are rimmed with red and the chill has bitten his cheeks, turning them a pink hue to match the tip of his nose.

Reaching out to grab it, I take a half step closer to him and slip his jacket around my shoulders, even if it is far too oversized for me. The warmth is immediate, blanketing me as if it’s safe now. As If nothing can hurt me beneath the shield of this man.

With his hands in his jean pockets, Cody says, “I know he spoke to you and I’ve lied. I’ve kept things from you.”

The world blurs behind him.

“There are so many reasons I can’t—I couldn’t.” He’s quick to correct himself but that mistake forces him to heave in a flustered breath.

“Just tell me the truth,” I plead with him.

“That’s what I want to do, Delilah.” His eyes hold nothing but sincerity. “I want to tell you everything.”

Marcus

Twelve years ago

Some things never change. Like the streetlamp on Parkway Avenue coming on before the rest of the lights in the vicinity. Or the bench outside of the hardware store being fully occupied with high school kids. The roll of wheels from skateboards and the chatter bring back memories.

Back then, they were the big kids. Now I’m around their age, maybe older.

The keys clang in my hand as I twirl them around my fingers. The small shop area used to be bustling this late at night. I noticed the new mall down the highway coming in and wondered if it would affect the stores here.

Maybe some things do change.

I don’t even know what I’m doing here.

Things are tedious upstate and I may have been a little reckless. While the heat dies down, it’s best to get away. I could have gone anywhere, though. Nothing explains why I ended up here in the town I grew up in.