Kenzie’s leaning against the frame of the large window beside the fireplace, watching the falling snow. She doesn’t turn to me when she speaks. “Andrew, who is Audrey? I heard your mom mention something about her when she called.”

I stick to the spot in shock and stare at her. I wasn’t expecting this. Not at all. And I’m in no way prepared to relive the most difficult time of my life when I’m supposed to be getting to know Kenzie and enjoying my time with her.

“Were you eavesdropping?” I immediately regret my snide tone, but Audrey’s name coming out of Kenzie’s mouth just feels wrong. It doesn’t matter who it is. The mention of Audrey gets my back up and makes me feel defensive, like an idiot. Hell, like the idiot I was.

She scowls at me. “You had your phone on speaker and I heard it.”

My face falls. I need to resist the urge to lash out and be an asshole to her just because she wants to talk about something I’ve now made very clear with my reaction is a big deal. “Why don’t we head to the bar and grab a drink, and I can tell you about it?”

My chest tightens. Since I arrived in America, I haven’t discussed what went down with anyone. Not even Finn knows. I wasn’t eager to bring those memories over here with me. In fact, I left London in big part to get away from them, but I suppose in trying to outrun them, I’ve grown tired and allowed them to catch up with me.

The rational part of me knows that if I want this to work with Kenzie, I need to be open with her, let her understand who I am and why I am the way I am. But being that open with someone again scares the shit out of me.

I can only hope that my gut instinct is right about Kenzie, even if it was so wrong about Audrey all those years ago.

We settle at a table in the corner of the bar, beside a window.

After the waitress brings us each a pint, Kenzie looks expectantly at me.

I bring the pint glass to my lips, hoping for a drop of liquid courage to get this started. “Audrey was my girlfriend back in university.”

There. The first sentence is out, and rather than the feeling of a dagger to the heart as I was expecting, I feel more like weight is being lifted off my chest, as though I can breathe a little easier knowing I’m going to do this.

Kenzie nods at me to continue.