Maize grabs a roll and pulls it apart. “I’m sure you know by now that I’m not great in the sharing my feelings department or talking things out when my emotions get the best of me. While my past is no excuse for how I’ve treated you, it really messed me up. I had basically given up on dating, and the morning after our night together, I was embarrassed I jumped into bed with a man I had just met. We didn’t know that much about each other, and I was judging the shit out of myself.”

She stuffs her mouth with food, and I silently wait for her to continue. I can tell she’s nervous, so I don’t want to speak until she’s done.

“It was really shitty of me to pretend I didn’t know you. I should’ve owned up to it long before I did. You didn’t deserve that kind of treatment, so for that, I’m truly sorry. Even though I’m in my mid-twenties, I’m not experienced with dating or having one-night stands. I get shy and anxious, so I resorted to playing dumb instead of acknowledging you. The fact that you even wanted to talk to me after that shows what kind of man you are. I should’ve realized you had good intentions.”

She pauses to take a sip of her drink. I look down at my untouched plate and dig in while she continues.

“I’m far from perfect, and while you don’t owe me a damn thing, I’d really like it if we could start over. I’d love for us to get a second—well, third—chance. No more ignoring or avoiding you, no more acting like a brat, and I’ll definitely work on communicating better.” She chuckles, and it makes me smile to hear that sound again.

“Well…” I swallow. “Honestly, I’m not sure if that’s possible. You’ve been running this whole time, and I’m kinda tired of chasing you. I thought we started over at the rodeo, and then you blindsided me and pulled a one-eighty on me. So...” Shrugging, I hold back a smirk as I watch her squirm. As much as I want to give in and taste her lips, I won’t make this easy for her.

“Okay, well first, Leo is just a friend, and I didn’t know it was your birthday until after. Don’t forget you brought Sarah Cooke to the family Fourth of July party!”

The anger firing through her voice causes me to chuckle. She really didn’t like me bringing her.

“You told me to move on, so I was just following orders.” I smirk, stabbing a piece of meat and taking a bite.