Page 75 of Make My Heart Malt

He bends down, resting his forehead against mine. His thumb brushes against my cheek. “It’s okay,” he murmurs.

I shake my head. “No. It’s not.” I pull away from him. “I don’t know why I said it. You’ve shown me time and time again how sorry you are, and I keep throwing it in your face. I’m sorry. Please know that I forgive you for what we’ll no longer talk about.” I huff out a humorless laugh before I bite my lips together. My stomach churns as I wait for his response.

With his finger under my chin, he forces me to meet his gaze. “I forgive you too.”

He presses a soft kiss to my lips. When he pulls away, I blow out a sigh of relief. The dark cloud looming over me finally dissipates, but soon enough, another rolls in.

My shoulders slump. “I need to tell Georgia what happened. If I was in her position, I’d want someone to tell me. Tony can’t get away with this.”

“Based on his track record, it’s best to tell her sooner rather than later. I’m sure he’s already spun up a web of lies to make you look like the bad guy and him the victim.”

“You’re right. It’s time to take the trash out.” I reach over to the nightstand and pick up my phone. I pull up her number and send her a message, seeing if she’ll meet with me once I’m back in Harbor Highlands. When I finish, I set down the phone. “We have a few hours before we need to be at the airport. What should we do?”

“I can think of a few things, and they’ll all have you screaming my name.” He rolls us over so he’s on top and his mouth slants over mine.

Two hours and several orgasms later, we’re at the airport. People rush past us while Garrett has his arms wrapped around me in a hug. Goodbyes with Garrett arethe worst. It’s my least favorite thing in the entire world. I swear we spend more time saying goodbye than actually being with each other.

“I’ll call you when I land, since you’ll arrive home first.”

I nod into his chest. He presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Are you sure you can’t come back with me to Harbor Highlands? I promise to make it worth your while.”

His chest rumbles with laughter. “As tempting as the offer is, I have to meet with my agent, and the team has a big charity event at the local children’s hospital before we start spring training.”

I huff. “I guess the kids can come before me.” I give him a teasing smile.

“Thanks for being so understanding. The kids appreciate it. But we’ll text, call, FaceTime, and we’ll plan for whatever we can in between. Okay?”

I nod. I’m afraid if I open my mouth, I’ll tell him I love him. That I’ve always loved him. Our first time shouldn’t be standing in the middle of a bustling airport saying goodbye.

He rests his finger under my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Later, Tater.” His lips curve into a smile before pressing against mine. It’s something I’ll have to burn into my memory since it will be a while until the next.

“Later, Home Run Playboy,” I whisper against his lips.

“Remember, it’s Home Run Stallion.” He winks.

When I’m in Harbor Highlands again, I head to Porter’s. Rylee’s working, and I need to tell her everything and askfor advice on approaching Georgia about the Tony’s-a-fucking-idiot situation.

When I stroll through the door, she does a double take before her eyebrows pinch together. “I thought you were in Chicago?”

I flop down on a stool in front of her. “Do you want the long version or the short?”

“I want every detail.”

In between customers, I fill her in on the whole Tony situation and how he tried to kiss me, but I finished it with Garrett coming to see me. “But my biggest issue is telling Georgia.” I rest my chin on my hand. Rylee has always been our resident problem solver. While most of the time it revolves around relationships, any advice she has is worth listening to. Hence, why I need her now.

“No one wants to be the bearer of shitty news. On the other hand, she deserves to know. Your best approach is going to be honesty, and you need to do it without Tony around.”

“I know. That’s the plan. Georgia is amazing and I love our friendship. I’d hate to lose that.”

“Unfortunately, it’s up to her to decide who she wants to believe.” She shrugs.

I nibble on my thumb nail, contemplating my game plan. “There’s no way I’ll go to their house. I have no idea if Tony is there or if he’s still in Chicago. Considering she has her storefront now, I’ll try there first. I’ll be happy if I never see him again.”

“But isn’t that going to be hard when you’re dating his brother?” She flashes me a wide grin.

I drop my head to the bar. Complicated comes back and rears her ugly head. “It’s not like Garrett is super close to Tony. Their relationship has been teetering on the edge since before I dated Tony. I’ll leave that one up toGarrett on how he wants to navigate it, and I’ll back him.”

“Awww. Look at you being in a relationship and making decisions. Soon, you'll be the proud owner of the baby balloon arch and declaring your love for your man.”

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