Page 63 of Camilla & Dallas
“It’s not that easy.”
“I don’t care if it’s impossible. You have to find a way if you want a chance to win her back.” Isabelle lifted her chin in a defiant stare-off. “And you have to tell her who Cheyenne really is. She deserves to know. Figure it out, Dallas. Or you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.”
26
Camilla
It was bound to happen.
Camilla had been preparing for it.
The second she saw Dallas striding toward her out of the corner of her eye, she knew. She knew he would force her to speak to him.
Thankfully, her family had given her enough of a buffer between the two of them for the last couple of days that she’d managed to figure out what she was going to say.
“Camilla, we need to talk,” he insisted.
The only person home right now was Isabelle, and Camilla had a feeling her younger sister wasn’t exactly team Camilla when it came to Dallas.
Cheyenne was supposed to stop by, but then something came up, leaving Camilla vulnerable. Slowly, she turned to face Dallas. She crossed her arms and forced herself not to look at him the way she’d been during the summer.
Who cared if he was gorgeous and tall and every bit the handsome man she always wanted? Who cared that his kisses could make her legs weak and her toes curl inside her boots?
She did.
She cared, and there was no denying it.
Camilla lifted her chin and stared at him in the eye. “I know we do.”
He blinked, his head rearing back slightly. “You… I thought…”
“Just because I know we should talk doesn’t mean I want to,” she sniped. “I don’t think I’ll ever fully be prepared for this conversation.”
He blinked a few more times, then rubbed the back of his neck. Maybe she’d taken the wind right out of his sails with the way she’d accepted his request so easily. That brought her a modicum of pleasure. She could still throw him off his guard.
“Camilla, I wanted to say?—”
She held up a hand, cutting him off. “Let me say something first. If I don’t, I’m not sure I’ll be able to get it out.”
Slowly, Dallas nodded. “Okay.”
Sucking in a deep breath and releasing it through pursed lips, Camilla closed her eyes and prayed for strength. “I forgive you.”
She sensed him move closer to her. Maybe it was the heat of his body. Or maybe it was the quiet, hopeful sound of his voice. “You do?”
Flinching, Camilla opened her eyes and took a decided step away from him. All it would take was one touch from him and she’d lose all the strength she had to refuse him. That was what love did to her. It made her second guess herself and the reasons she had for treating Dallas the way she did.
If he pulled her in for a hug right now, she wouldn’t stand her ground. She’d let him sweet-talk her into taking him back. But she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t sacrifice her heart a third time.The pain had cut too deep. The scars already had a hard time healing.
Dallas frowned at her reaction and his hands dropped to his sides listlessly. “It doesn’t feel that way,” he said.
Tears burned in the back of her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but it only made the burning sensation worse. “I said I forgive you. That doesn’t mean that I want to start this thing between us again.”
The pain etched in his features was almost too much for her to bear. She felt it with her whole shattered heart. She nearly took a step toward him to pull him in for a hug—to comfort him, shield him from the heartache she was causing.
Fingers digging into her palms as she fisted them tight, she refrained.
“For how long?” he asked quietly.
