Page 156 of Tattooed Love

Her expression dropped and she looked up in shock. “Um well… um.” She nervously frowned. “Not important.”

“Nah, don’t give me that line sweetheart. Who is he?” Was he her boyfriend? Had she not just moved on with her life, but also her love life?

She sighed. “He is someone that is very important in my new life.”

I knew immediately she was down-playing it. She had moved on. Not just in life, but in her love life as well. She had someone who was now very important in her new life.

Like her tattoo said, exhale the past. Well, I was that past.

“I’m happy for you.” And I was; she deserved to be happy. She deserved this new life. Hell, she deserved a better life than I could ever give her. And now she was getting it.

“I’m not dating him.” That cute frown of hers appeared on her face again and she looked down. She was nervous. “After what happened with you, I’m never letting anyone get close to me again,” she muttered; I barely heard her.

I sighed. “Just because I screwed up doesn’t mean you should wipe men out completely. I was a dick, Amber. Not all men are like that.” I didn’t want to say it, but she had just said Tae was an important part of her new life. “Maybe this Tae could be the right guy.”

One that wouldn’t take her for granted. One that would see how important she was before he lost her because that was what happened to me; I didn’t know how important she was in my life until I’d lost her.

“He’s not.” She scoffed. “I’m never giving someone that power over me again. Hell, I still haven’t got myself back together after you!”

“Yeah you have sweetheart. You are more than fine without me.” I smiled dimly, only stating a fact. She had moved on. She had picked up the life I had trashed by being in it and she had somehow, well, turned her life around.

“No, I’m not. I’m nowhere near fine,” she said, like I should’ve known that, and that ‘everything is fine’ expression dropped and I saw the hollowness in her eyes. “You nearly killed me Jax.”

The guilt I felt was crushing me. The weight of it. The hollowness in her eyes. That was my fault.

“I’m so sorry sweetheart. I really am,” I said. She would never know how truly sorry I was, and I was sure she was never going to let me make it up to her. “Just because I treated you like shit, doesn’t mean another man will.”

“I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to men. Blake hurt me physically and you, well…” her words dried up. We both knew what I had done

I watched pain split across her face for a second; then it was gone.

“Like I said, you will find a guy that will realize how important you are.” I knew it would happen. She was stunning, beautiful and perfect, and I wasn’t just talking about her body. Her attitude, her unconditional love for her family, and her faith in the people she loved; all that made her the perfect woman.

And I was an idiot for letting her go. Hell, I’d pushed her away.

She pursed her lips and nodded her head. “Maybe one day I will risk it again, but not now, and not for Tae.”

“Why, is he not as good looking as me?” I had to cut the tension somehow and she rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face.

“You know, no one is as good looking as you, but that’s not the reason. Tae actually is pretty fit.”

“Fit, hey? You sound British.”

She laughed. “No, I mean physically, not as in attractive. He pushes me to my limits.”

I arched my eyebrows at that. What did she mean her limits? Was she talking about in bed?

“Not like that!” She picked up on my expression. She knew what I was thinking. “He is, well…” She sighed. “You actually know him.”

“I don’t know anyone called Tae.”

“You do.”

“No I don’t. I don’t know anyone in England, well apart from you.”

“His name is Tae Neal Smith,” she said, like I should know what that means.

I just frowned. “No idea who you are talking about sweetheart.”

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