“I did,” I told him. “I just didn’t completely recognize you and you didn’t share when I introduced Travis and me.”

“You’re right,” he shot back. “I didn’t. Think on that, Carissa. You had a life where you got nothin’ you wanted, but still, you were fool enough to want a guy. You liked him. He was nice to you and you used him to give you peace from the shithole you called a home and the jackhole you called a dad. You saw him again, he didn’t know who the fuck you were, what would you do?”

Unfortunately, I saw his point.

More so seeing as he was a man, a manly man, a manly biker man who not only wouldn’t take kindly to that type of thing but also wouldn’t like to admit it hurt.

Not to mention, all he said about his home, his dad, using me to bring him peace killed me.

Sadly, thinking all this, I didn’t reply, so he had his chance to keep going.

“Now it’s been weeks where me, my brothers, their women have taken your back, looked after you, looked after your boy, you notice your fuck-up and you lay that charity case shit on me?”

“That was—”

“Fucked-up and ugly,” he finished for me again.

He was right.

“I was surprised,” I defended myself feebly.

“Yeah, me too. Surprised the homecoming queen had it in her ever to remember I existed.”

Okay, wait.

That blow was low.

He was right. I’d messed up.

But I didn’t deserve that.

“Joker, of course I’d remember you,” I said carefully.

“Yeah? Had my tongue in your mouth, your hands up my shirt, looked into my eyes beggin’ for more, Carissa, and that shit didn’t happen.”

Oh no.

Absolutely not.

“Your hair is different!” I retorted sharply.

“So’s yours,” he fired back.

This was true. It was longer. As was his.

Still.

“You had a beard.”

“You have a baby.”

Darn it!

“You’re a biker!” I cried.

“You’re a grocery store clerk,” he returned.

He was too much!

“It’s been years!” I yelled.

“Yeah, it has,” he whispered ominously.

But I knew what he meant.

It had been years and he still knew me.

He didn’t get the same.

But even if he was right, his reaction was wrong.

“Okay, you’re right. You’re absolutely right. And I’m sorry, Joker,” I hissed. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize the boy I crushed on and did it huge back in high school. Honestly, I don’t know how I didn’t. Though, you know, I may have had a few things on my mind, say, a flat tire and a crappy apartment and an ex-husband whose sole desire seemed to be making my life a misery. But I still don’t know how I didn’t. Especially considering the fact that, almost right away, I started crushing on the man you became even bigger than I’d crushed on you back then.”