Her phone vibrated, startling her from the memory. There was only one person she wanted to talk to, and she knew it wasn’t him, so she ignored it. When she reached her Vespa, her phone vibrated again. Annoyed, she pulled it out of her pocket and stared at Tobias’s name on the screen in disbelief, pulse quickening, mind racing as she debated not reading the text. But she could no sooner leave it unread than forget him. With a shaky thumb, she opened the message, and a picture of a peach appeared. A lump lodged in her throat.

He was thinking of her.

Another text popped up, and a whole line of peaches appeared. She inhaled a ragged breath, her heart pounding. For the first time in a week, she felt a spark of hope, but she didn’t know if she should cling to it or run from it.

“That was a hell of a performance, Blue Eyes.”

Tears sprang to her eyes as Tobias stepped from the shadows of the tree line, and her heart cracked open.

MOONLIGHT ILLUMINATED THE tears slipping down Madigan’s cheeks, each one cutting Tobias deeper, but God, for the first time in a week, he felt like he could breathe. He wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go, but he knew he’d be lucky if she stuck around long enough to have a conversation. Please don’t tell me to fuck off.

Madigan lifted her chin, not bothering to dry her tears, eyes narrowing. “You disappear for a week, and that’s what you open with?”

He stepped closer, too drawn to her to stay away. “Isn’t that where we started?”

A sad smile tugged at her lips, but it didn’t last. “You left me high and dry, like I meant nothing to you—which is fine, because we weren’t anything anyway, but it was still a shitty thing to do.”

“I know, and I’m so fucking sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving. I caused a shit show with your family, and you didn’t need more of that. I drove for three days, trying to get as far away from you as I could. Trying to forget you and the pain I know I caused. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and I couldn’t stay away knowing I’d hurt you. I’m so damn sorry, Blue Eyes.” He stepped forward, but she stepped back. He took the gut punch and held his hands up in surrender. “I just want to talk.”

Her lower lip trembled, and she swiped at her eyes, her strong will winning out. “You were in prison, and you were a fighter, and I had no idea about either of those things. I thought I was getting to know you, but I’m not sure I knew you at all.”