Jimmy had been in the car on his way home, when Dickie called him.

"What game are you playing, Sinclair? I trusted you."

He shut his eyes, understanding perfectly what the old man was upset about. "I didn't tell anyone Dickie, Tate overheard me talking to a potential buyer. The closest he came to identifying you was mentioning skiing. Hold on. Georgie, take me to the apartment. I'm back."

"She told my son you were selling out from under me. That girl might dislike you more than she does Duncan. She has reasons to hate my kid. Now I have to tell my wife."

Dickie hung up. Jimmy wanted to be mad at Tate, but he was madder at himself. He could have walked away with Whitby or trusted Tate. It was hard when she didn't trust him. What a mess?

Just as the car pulled up in front of Tate's apartment, Dickie called back. "I think I've convinced them both it was my idea. Honestly, I want to be done with the hassle more than ever. Can we work out a deal? You owe me that much."

Tate yelled as he entered her apartment. "Okay. Dickie."

"It's been a helluva Saturday night."

"I'm sorry."

"I always liked that girl. If I can smooth over the edges, have her call me. I owe her that much after what happened."

"Will do." As he hung up, he let out a sigh. "Tate, you need to listen to me."

With Tate curled up on her bed, he only saw her back. Fight for her. Prove to her you changed. Even when she physically threatened him, he refused to give up. Losing her cut deep. The raw pain brought tears to his eyes.

After her outburst about being cursed, she crumbled into incoherent sobs. Jimmy sat on her bed and rubbed her back. When the tears continued, he feared he would drown in them. Helpless, he held his breath hoping she didn't flip him on the ground, as he stretched out against her and held her in his arms.

She was too smart to hate him over a private business deal, especially after he revealed his motives were not malicious. "We're not cursed. Cursed is loving someone and watching him build a family with another woman. Cursed is losing your spouse and true love too early. Cursed is falling for a scoundrel." She snorted. "I didn't mean me. Skip that example. Cursed is losing your sixteen-year-old daughter, because she got drunk at a party."

Tate groaned. "She drank because she saw us."

"I know, but this is the deal. I can punish myself for kissing a friend on her birthday, or I can forgive myself for the bad timing, but I always wanted to kiss you. Sheridan was fun, but I never liked her like I liked you."

"You dated for months." She sobbed quietly.

"I was a kid. Liking her was good enough until she stopped being fun. We fought before we picked you up."

"You did?"

"Yeah, she wanted to have sex, but I told her no. It wasn't the first time we argued about it."

"Why? I don't understand."

"Because I just didn't like her enough. I wanted to break up, and she wanted to get more serious."

"She was fine when I got in the car."

Jimmy remembered every detail. "Because I charmed her, and we made up. She was used to getting her way."

"Her parents spoiled her. I liked her house, because her mother didn't have high standards like Amelia."

"She didn't chaperone us. I threatened to break up with her, but backpedaled because I didn't want to ruin the party and your birthday."

Tate snorted. "You kissed me."

"It was an amazing kiss. It didn't make me fall in love with you because I already was, even though we were both too young."

Tate sobbed. "But it was wrong, you shouldn't have."

"I know, but Sheridan was already drinking. She tried to make me jealous by hanging with the kids outside."

"I didn't see her. I thought you two were off most of the night."

"I watched her flirt. The thing is we were young, stupid kids. Doing things kids who didn't think do. I planned to end it before I dropped her off."

"But you didn't. You couldn't."

"No."

"She yelled at you in the car. I wished I got a ride from someone else."

"We should have had a chauffeur drive us." Jimmy hated to continue, but his future depended on them both opening up. He didn't dare ask why she wasn't resisting.

"That wasn't cool. Your sporty BMW was cool."

"Yeah, well, not when she started screaming at me. We could have all died."

It took months for Jimmy to not hear her yelling at him when he shut his eyes. Lord, he had been afraid of the quiet.

When she jerked the wheel, he braked, and the car spun.

Tate said, "I remember spinning and hitting the curb."

"We were lucky there were no other cars on the road. When the car stopped, I was shaking. We were fine."

"I bumped my head."

Jimmy looked at her. "I didn't know. I was hellbent and determined to change the tire and get home. Why did you get out of the car?"

"Because she called me a slut, and I didn't want to be left with her. I climbed out on the driver's side."

"The side that hit the curb. We just missed a telephone pole. I could have been crushed. My hands shook, and I dropped the lug nuts. My uncle had taught me how to change a tire. He said it was a thing a man needed to know how to do."

Tate sobbed. "You were busy on the ground. You didn't see. I saw her open the door." She gasped. "The headlights flooded her and then I never stopped screaming."

Jimmy clung to her. "I didn't know. I didn't see. I heard it. God, I can still hear it all, including your screams."

"I saw the car speeding just as she stepped out. She went flying. I saw it. If you hadn't kissed me, she wouldn't have been drunk, she would have looked first."

"But she was already drunk. She was hanging out with the guys all night." Jimmy wished the night had gone differently too, but not kissing Tate.

"That wasn't like her. She was my best friend my whole life."

"It was one terrible night for her. She knew we were over. I watched kids in college act stupider. I stopped partying, took extra classes, and finished with my MBA early. Do you think I would be a shark if Sheridan had stayed in the car?"

"I thought you were a wolf."

"Not if my mate hates me."

"I don't hate you right now."

He smiled for the first time since he spoke to Whitby. "That's something. I love you. Only we know the true nightmare of that night, but together we can quiet the trauma. We need each other. It wasn't your fault or mine."

"I've blamed myself every day."

Jimmy kissed her hair. "Don't. Blame Sheridan."

"Or Baxter's for telling you not to date me."

"If I had known you liked me, I would have told him to go to hell."

"You never would have." She hid her face in his chest.

"I just thought up a plan. Dickie wants out. If Whitby doesn't come through, I'll buy his shares and go through with my expansion plans. I'll put them in your name as a wedding gift, that way you will have a say about the future of Dawson Sports."

"A wedding gift?" She looked up at him with her red splotchy eyes.

"Not right away. We need to heal. Both of us. Maybe we should seek help together. More than the cross, the nightmare we experienced bounded us together."

"You hated me."

Jimmy's heart felt too heavy to carry. "I thought you hated me. We did a good job at pushing each other away. I worked, and you dated a reality TV clown."

Tate snickered. "I became friends with shallow girls who could never hurt me, because I wouldn't get close enough."

"What about Ivy?"

Tate sighed. "She weaseled in, but as much as I liked her I used the differences in our backgrounds to keep our friendship slightly off. Except I had to support her when my brother fell in love."

"I made lots of money not caring about who I hurt."

"Are we bad people?"

"We're damaged. I'll never drive a car. You wouldn't make friends. We can heal together."

"Duncan hates you."

Jimmy chuckled. "I couldn't care less. He would hate me more if he knew I ate his wedding cake off your breasts."

Tate slapped him. "Stop. I can't believe you got me to open up."

"You've been fighting me forever."

"When I thought you betrayed me I ran out of fight. It hurt so badly, more pain wouldn't have made a difference."

"How do you feel now?"

"Exhausted."

"Should I go?" He hated the words as they tumbled out.

"No. I don't want to be alone. I'm afraid the nightmares will start again."

"I'll stay. I'll never leave you."

As she snuggled into him, he just wanted to hold her. It was the first time he didn't think about cake.

They finally talked about Sheridan's death. Thanks for voting ⭐️