“You think I should tell her everything? It’s gonna shatter her, particularly the fact that I’ve been hiding it in the first place. She trusts me.”

“I think that’s part of the problem. You’re walking around with all of this guilt, trying to be some kind of saint. You’re only human. Tell her the truth. Then once you’ve let that go, just let life happen naturally without trying to manipulate everything.”

“What if she hates me?”

“From everything you’ve told me, she seems like she’s a pretty smart girl—and tough, too. Hopefully, she can handle it.”

That was true. Heather was tough. But she wasn’t prepared for this. My father was right, though. My biggest problem was that I didn’t feel I deserved how she felt about me because she didn’t know why I was here.

I hung up with him, still torn over how to handle things.

As the night wore on, I felt more and more like telling Heather the truth.

As much as I was tempted to find out where she was and go to her, I didn’t want to be a dick and interrupt her date. I had no right to do that after I’d kicked her out.

I just needed to let her know one thing—the one thing I was certain of.

So I sent her a text.Noah: I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have let you go.She didn’t respond, and I couldn’t blame her. I had behaved like an erratic teenager tonight. I was a grown man and needed to start acting like one. I owed her the truth. I owed her brutal honesty—not only about why I was here, but also about my feelings for her. But the latter couldn’t come without full disclosure first.

A long while after I’d texted her, a response finally came in.Heather: Well, I could have told you that.I couldn’t help but crack a smile, relieved that she was even responding.Noah: Are you okay?Her answer was immediate.Heather: Let me in and I’ll tell you.My heart pumped as I rushed to the door.

Heather stood there getting drenched, her red dress stuck to her body. I’d been so preoccupied, I hadn’t even realized it was raining.

One look at her, and I was done for again.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you all night,” she said.

“I owe you a huge apology for the way I acted.”

Her hair was dripping. “I don’t want to want you either, you know. The thought of you leaving and possibly never seeing you again is so scary. I wish I didn’t feel this way.”

She smelled even better wet from the rain. I really tried not to kiss her again, but the need was even more intense now that I knew what it felt like. I needed to taste her one last time before what would be one of the toughest conversations of my life.

Wrapping my hands around her cheeks, I brought her face into mine and devoured her lips. This kiss was different than the last. While the first had been frenzied and desperate, this time I kissed her slowly and passionately, my tongue stroking hers gently. Her fingers tangled in my hair as she pulled, seeming desperate for more. My eyes closed as I cherished every second, every little moan that escaped her.

After several minutes, I gently bit her bottom lip before forcing myself back.

“Please don’t stop.”

“I have to.”

“Why?”

Taking both of her hands in mine, I led her over to the spot next to me on the sofa.

“I have to talk to you. I don’t want to put it off anymore. It’s something I wasn’t necessarily going to tell you, because I wasn’t expecting to be in this deep. Now that I am, I feel like I owe you an explanation for why I’m here.”

“Why you’re here? You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

“Please don’t be scared.”

“What is it? Are you sick? I’ve always had this scary feeling that maybe—”

“No. Nothing like that. I’m fine. Healthy as a horse.”

Heather sighed in relief. “Okay…”

“I’ve been keeping something from you. While you may not fully understand why I didn’t say anything, I need you to know that I came here with the best of intentions.”

“Intentions?”

“My choosing this place wasn’t a coincidence.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

There was no easy way to say it. “Heather…” I took a deep breath and braced myself. “I knew your sister.”CHAPTER SEVENTEEN* * *HEATHERMy eyes wouldn’t stop blinking.

Did he just say he knew my sister?

The only thing that would come out of me was, “What?”

“I knew Opal.”

A rush of panic hit me.

Noah…and my sister?

“Did you…did you and my sister…”

“No!” he said adamantly, seeming to realize where I was coming from. “No…God, I need you to know that. Nothing ever happened between us. We were not romantically involved in any way, shape, or form. So please don’t think that. But I did meet her, and I need to tell you the story.”