“Okay, Madison. Let’s just sit on it if we can. I’m tired.”

“I know you are. This will be okay. But can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“If that’s the guy from the broken-down town, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave either.”

A small smile tugged at my lips. “I know, right?” I said halfheartedly.

“I’ll be in touch,” she said.

Tossing my cell aside, I fought off the urge to dive back into bed and hide out under the covers. Instead I padded into the kitchen after brushing my teeth and started my coffeemaker. I rifled through the cupboard, then pulled out a box of cereal and started munching on it straight out of the box.

I reached for my laptop, then hopped up on my countertop and placed it on my lap as I waited for my coffee. It seemed like every outlet had picked up the pictures of Tatum and me and were running them nonstop. They printed articles saying how I cheated on Colin first, and that’s why he did what he did. Suddenly, I was the bad guy and Colin was the victim. It sickened me.

When I came across a post from Colin that said, “Now everyone knows what I was dealing with,” I almost threw my laptop across the room. The utter betrayal enraged me, forcing to wonder again how any one person could be so malicious toward a person they claimed to have loved.

All of this was beyond ridiculous. My shock started to wear off as anger replaced it. I decided that I liked feeling angry; it was empowering. Not that I enjoyed the things that were happening to me, but being angry was a heck of a lot better than being confused, hurt, and overwhelmed. Those emotions didn’t constitute action like anger did. It fueled it.

After showering and getting dressed, I grabbed my things, fully intending to head over to Quinn’s house. This time I wasn’t going over there to cry, but to talk and form some kind of a game plan.

As I stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby, I was shocked by Tatum’s familiar blue eyes looking back at me from the concierge desk. Sam was speaking to him softly, but I couldn’t make out the words.

I stopped in my tracks and pinched myself to make sure I was awake. Tatum noticed me do it and smiled as he moved to close the space between us.

“Miss Lockwood, this is okay, right?” Sam asked, his expression pained as he nodded his head in Tatum’s direction.

I nodded. “Yes, this is okay. For now,” I added quickly. “Thank you, Sam.”

Sam directed his attention toward his ringing telephone as Tatum took another tentative step toward me.

“Are you really here?” I asked through my shock as all the righteous anger whooshed out of me. My first instinct was that I wanted to protect Tatum from the paparazzi waiting outside, knowing that he would absolutely hate the way they would attack him, if they hadn’t already. I needed to warn him about the pictures. Did he already know?

“I’m so sorry, Paige.” He cautiously stepped toward me, clearly unsure of my reaction. “I’m so sorry I let you go. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you, or tried to call.”

I bowed my head and squeezed my eyes shut as words all but failed me.

“Am I too late? Is it too late?” he pleaded as I lifted my head to look at him.

“Too late for what?” I asked, willing myself not to cry. He’s here. My God, what does that mean that he’s here?

“For you. For us. Did I wait too long before coming here to apologize and tell you what a fool I was? And how sorry I am and that I don’t want to live without you?”

My body reacted favorably to his words, but my mind held out. I shifted on my feet, my internal parts at odds with one another.

I looked into his eyes. “I can’t trust you anymore. I want to, but I don’t.”

The hurt my words brought to his eyes pained me, but it did little to curb my sudden resolve. I had given Tatum my trust completely, and he’d tossed it right back at me. He hurt me when he discarded me like last night’s garbage.

His eyebrows pulled together as he clenched his jaw. “I know you don’t. But I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your trust back, Paige. I was an idiot. I didn’t mean any of it, you have to know that. I was so damned hurt, I couldn’t stop myself.”

“I know why you did it, but I don’t like that you did. This business I’m in,” I waved a hand at the throngs of press taking pictures from outside the windows, “it’s not easy, and I’m scared you’ll run when it gets ugly. And as you can see, it does get ugly.”

He took a step toward me, reaching out to grab my arms as he pulled me close. “I won’t run. I promise. I. Won’t. Run,” he gritted out, emphasizing each word.

“I don’t—” I pressed my lips together as I summoned more strength. “I don’t believe you.”

As the blood drained from his face and he loosened his grip on me, my stomach turned and rolled. It was hard to be this close to Tatum and not give in.

“I thought you might say that,” he said as he glanced down at the floor and swiped at his eyes.

It hurt to see him like this. My heart wanted to leap into his arms and tell him we’d work it all out and things would be fine, but my head refused to allow that. My mind continued to remind me that he pushed me away, told me to leave, handed me to Colin without a second glance.

Defense mechanism or not, that was something I didn’t need in my life. With all the inner strength I’d recently found, I needed the man in my life to be just as strong as me, if not stronger.

“Do you have any feelings for me at all?” he asked so softly, I almost didn’t hear him.

“This has nothing to do with how I feel about you.” I reached for his chin and tilted it up so he could look at me and recognize that I was hurting too. “Of course I have feelings for you. But you didn’t handle things well when Jayson and Colin showed up.”

He opened his mouth to interrupt, but I placed a finger on his lips to silence him. God, they were soft.

“I know why you did it. I know you didn’t mean the things you said. But dating me is hard, Tatum. It’s not easy being in the spotlight, or being with me, or around this lifestyle. There are things that happen constantly that I can’t control. I just don’t think it’s something you want to be involved in, but I don’t fault you for that. I just—” I stopped as the rest of my thoughts and words failed me.

“I screwed up, Paige. I know that. I knew the second you drove away that I’d never be the same again. I want to be with you.” He grabbed my hand, his thumb skating across my knuckles. “I know you don’t think I’m worth it, but I’ll show you that I am. I’ll prove it to you. I want you. I want this,” he said as he waved his other hand between us. “I want there to be an us, Paige. I get that you’re nervous, but I’m not going anywhere this time. I’m so in love with you.”

“What?” I coughed out.

He loves me? My heart jump-started inside my chest, battering against the cage I kept it in.

“You didn’t hear me the first time?” he said with a smirk. “I’m in love with you, Paige. I love you. I’ll never forgive myself if you don’t forgive me, but I know you need proof. Don’t give up on me.” His lips grazed the top of my hand as he let it go and turned to walk away.

“I thought you said you weren’t going anywhere?” I called out at his back, and he stopped.

“Oh, I’m not. Not permanently. But I have something to do first.” He moved toward the glass doors before turning back to me. “By the way, I really like your hair.”

I smiled as I absentmindedly reached for the short ends, pulling at them as Tatum walked outside, where the paparazzi all but attacked him. Watching him for a minute, I wondered how he would handle himself in all the chaos that surrounded him. I half expected him to lose his cool or do something rash, but he didn’t. Tatum was the picture of calm.

Which made me wonder how the heck he was doing it, and what the heck I was going to do about him.