“So you didn’t come to see the girls.”

“Of course I did!” He sounded emphatic. “But I came for you, too.”

Harper stared at herself in the mirror over the dresser as she talked. She looked miserable—and she was. “After everything that’s happened I’m not prepared for this to go any further,” she said.

“You don’t want to get back together.”

“Sometimes I do,” she admitted. “But that’s usually when I’m thinking of the girls. That’s not what I want for me.”

“That isn’t what you were saying before,” he said.

“I know. But things have changed.”

“What’s changed?” he challenged. “Nothing’s changed. You’re just putting me off. Making me eat crow. You want me to suffer.”

“You’re accusing me of…what? Being vindictive?”

“What else could it be? You meet a dude with a body like that—of course you’re going to be tempted. But let’s be honest, Harper. It was a fling. I’ve had several myself, and I’ve admitted it. I’m willing to forgive you if you’re willing to forgive me. Let’s put the past behind us and move forward without any resentment on either side.”

She drew a deep breath as she grappled for calm and clarity. “Just tell me one thing.”

“What?”

“Did you sleep with that girl in Barcelona?”

There was a slight pause. Then he said, “What does it really matter? You slept with Tobias just last night!”

“But I’m not the one who left you brokenhearted with two kids. I’m not the one who suddenly reversed my decision and is now trying to get back together. You slept with her, didn’t you? After you started asking me for a second chance?”

“You know how difficult relationships are. You can’t honestly tell me you expect to marry that dude I saw in the restaurant. You’re just angry and confused.”

Axel had slept with the girl in Barcelona. Otherwise, he would’ve denied it. She’d known it; she could feel it whenever she saw that video. And it just made his whole attempt to get her back seem so insincere, so unreliable.

Dropping her head into her hand, Harper sank onto the bed and stared at her feet instead of her own unhappy reflection. “I don’t think so,” she said stubbornly.

“You don’t think…what?” he asked.

“I’m not angry. At least, that’s not what I’m basing this decision on.”

“Then what are you basing it on?”

“Tobias makes me happier than you do.”

There. It was out. She’d spoken her truth—identified the real reason she was holding back. She enjoyed being with Tobias more than she enjoyed being with Axel. Tobias was gentle and calm and willing to give. He cared what she was thinking and feeling. He wasn’t someone who drained the very lifeblood from her.