“Unexpected?” he barked. “Even though I told you on several occasions that I wasn’t out to hurt anyone.”
“You did.” Avery glanced at her hands, which were tightly clasped in her lap. “But after what happened, I assumed you’d change your mind.”
Grey raised a hand in the air and let it slap against his thigh. “Proving how little you’ve ever understood about me. I don’t go for revenge. I just let go.”
Her hand clutched the spot on her stomach where his cutting remark had landed a solid punch. “I’m sorry I doubted you. I’m sorry about all of it, Grey. Truly, I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Betray me, you mean?” His narrowed gaze, so unlike most of the looks he’d ever cast her way, appeared to be closing the door on any hope of reconciliation.
“That’s fair, I guess. I had to sign those papers because I owe my parents the money, but I should’ve called you first. My dad bullied me, and I was torn between loyalty to him and you. Either choice would hurt someone, so I chose my dad. But not because I didn’t care about you, Grey.” She looked at him, pleadingly. He, however, remained rigid and removed.
“That’s why I’m here—so you know how much I care. To prove it, I’ve made a decision.” Avery pulled the papers from her purse and set them on the table, her voice quaking slightly. “Andy and I are going to sell the house. Kelsey thinks we can list it at close to six hundred thousand, although it won’t sell at that price. Still, even once we pay back my parents, there should be roughly two hundred thousand dollars left. I don’t know if that will end up covering all your losses, but it’s the best I can offer.”
Grey’s cool demeanor shifted as he studied her. Neither of them spoke for a minute or two. He held her gaze as he pushed off the door. When he came within three feet of her, he stopped and rested his hands on his hips. “And where will you live, then? If you give me your money, you won’t have anything left to buy a new place.”
She shrugged. “I’ve got a little money saved.”
“Weren’t you saving that money to invest in your own business?”
“So I’ll put off those plans for a while longer. I’m not unhappy at the clinic. For now, I’ll have enough money for a first and last month’s deposit on a rental at least. It doesn’t matter. Like you said the other week, where I live isn’t as important as who is in my life.”
“But you love your house.” His eyes softened. “You’ve told me so more than once. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
She stood up, shaky from nervousness. Now or never, squeaked a little voice in her head. “But I love you more, Grey.” She noticed the muscles in his cheek twitch, but he didn’t move. She stepped closer. “I know I hurt you, and I hate that. Maybe you can’t forgive me or trust me, but I still don’t want you to lose everything, especially not because of my family. And I needed you to know that, even though I didn’t show it sooner, you meant—you mean so much to me.”
If she’d expected him to melt at her feet upon hearing her declaration, she’d be disappointed. The silence in the room suffocated her, but she couldn’t move or speak. Did her words really have no impact on his feelings?
“What are those papers?” He gestured toward the listing agreement she’d set on the table.
“The listing agreement.” Her mind had to work extra hard to process their conversation simultaneously with her own jumbled thoughts. “I just left Kelsey’s office. She’s probably adding the house to the MLS as we speak.”
She’d never admit it to him, but her heart sank a little at the thought.
“Call her now and pull the listing.” His brows lowered.
“No.” Avery stood firm, shaking her head. “I’ve made up my mind. This is the right thing to do. I wish I’d done it sooner. Maybe if I had, things would’ve turned out differently for us.”
“Is that what you want?” The hard edge faded from his voice. “For things to be different?”
She forced herself to risk rejection, to look him directly in the eye. “I want things to go back to how they were last week, before all this happened.”
“Call Kelsey and pull the listing, Avery.” He stepped closer, but didn’t touch her. Still, the heat of his body pulled at her like a magnet attracts nickel. “I don’t need the money.”
She tilted her head. “What?”
“I worked out a deal with Wade, and Trip’s buying a stake in the company, so I don’t need the money. Even if I did, I wouldn’t take it from you.”