Love in the Light (Hearts in Darkness, #2)(13)

“Can we please talk for a minute?”

Alarm bells went off in her head. The final conversations they’d had several years ago hadn’t been pleasant. Whatever this was, she wasn’t looking forward to it. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, Makenna. Please?” He gave her the look, the one that once had melted her on sight.

She studied him for a moment—he had all-American good looks with blond hair, blue eyes, and a square jaw that was to die for, and wore a light gray V-neck cashmere sweater over a blue button down that made his eyes even brighter. Once, she’d thought there was no hotter man. And she’d been as attracted to his brain and his ambition as she was his looks. Not to mention his long association with her family, because she’d known Cam since her age ran in the single digits.

With a sigh, she nodded. “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”

He gestured toward her room. “Can we, maybe, talk somewhere more private?”

“I’d rather do it here,” she said, crossing her arms. She was feeling a bit ambushed, which in turn made her irritated with both Cameron and Ian for setting it up. Because whatever it was he wanted to talk about was why he was here today. She knew that in her gut.

“Okay, then,” Cameron said. “Well…the thing is…” He chuffed out a laugh. “I had this all planned, but now that you’re standing in front of me, my tongue’s all tied like I’m a teenager.”

The self-deprecation was charming, as was the sheepish look on his face, but the sentiment set off more alarm bells.

He gave her a smile. “I miss you. That’s the first thing I wanted to say. I miss you and I now know I made a huge mistake when I didn’t take the fellowship in DC.” Makenna’s stomach flipped and the floor wobbled beneath her feet. “Actually, I knew it was a mistake almost immediately, but I was too immature and proud to admit it, and too scared to ask you to take me back.”

No. Nonono. “Cam—”

“Please let me finish,” he said with a tilt of his head. “I know I might not deserve it, but please?”

Heart racing fast, Makenna nodded. Even though she felt a little like she might throw up that second piece of apple pie she’d sneaked an hour ago. She didn’t still have feelings for him, but that didn’t make hearing this from someone she’d once loved any easier.

“I’ve done a lot of growing up and a lot of thinking about what I want in life. A prestigious match is still important to me, but not as important as having someone I care about to share my life with. I could’ve had that with you. I should’ve had that with you. And I still want it. With you,” he said, his eyes blazing.

“Cameron, I’m with someone else now,” she said, her insides all a-jumble at the surprise of this conversation. Never in a million years would she have expected this from him.

“I know,” he said. “And I’m sorry for that. It’s why I had to say something now, before you got serious with him. But you’ve only been dating for two months. We have a history that goes back twenty years. We were together for three of those. And we’d be married right now if I hadn’t been a stubborn, selfish prick.”

“I am serious with him,” she said, the walls spinning around her. Once upon a time, she would’ve given everything to hear these words from him. But it was too late. She’d moved on. From Cameron and with someone else. With Caden. “We’ve been apart for three years, too. A lot has changed.”

Cam stepped closer. “How I feel about you hasn’t changed. Or maybe it has. It’s gotten stronger. I have a good lead on a position in DC when my fellowship ends. I want to try for that position and move down there. I want to be with you. I want us to start over and build the life together we should’ve already had.”

“You’re not listening—”

“I am. I hear you. You think you’re serious about this guy. But he’s the blink of an eye compared to how long we’ve known each other. If you gave us a chance—”

Makenna stepped back, away from his intensity, away from his touch, away from these words that tormented her only because they no longer mattered. And once they would’ve meant the world. There was a sadness in that that hurt. A lot.

He moved with her, staying close. “Please, give us a chance. Give me a chance.” He pulled something from his pocket. A ring box. “I still have it,” he said, cracking the velvet top open to reveal a stunning emerald-cut diamond in a magnificent setting. She remembered how beautiful it looked on her hand. “I would give anything to be able to earn my way back into your heart, to have the chance to hear you say again that you would marry me.”

Swallowing around the knot in her throat, Makenna closed the ring box in his hands. “Cameron, I appreciate what you’re saying. I do. But I moved on. You made your choice and I made mine. And three years have passed. Caden and I haven’t been together very long, but that bears no relationship to how much I care about him. I can’t turn that off, and I don’t want to,” she said. She didn’t want to hurt Cameron’s feelings, in fact she hated that her words might hurt him, but he’d waited too long. Damnit, that wasn’t her fault.

Cam clasped his hands around hers. “Don’t say no. Please. Just think about what I’m saying. I’ll wait. I’ll wait as long as you need to figure things out.” Desperation shaped his classical features into a tortured mask she’d never before seen him wear, and it made her realize how sincere he was being just then. Which meant he really had grown up a lot since they’d split.