Free Cocky Cowboy: A Second Chance Romance (Cocker Brothers of Atlanta Book 3) by Faleena Hopkins

forgiveness and apology no matter what Ryan thinks. They stand for a first kiss I shared when I was only nine, one that impacted me in ways I am only beginning to understand.
    And now they’re everywhere, in the wrong home.
    “Let me get that.” Ryan takes my rolling suitcase, carrying it to our bedroom.
    Walking to the largest bouquet I touch soft yellow petals, closing my eyes at the irony.
    I’m a piece of shit.
    “Ryan?”
    “Yeah?”
    I jump. “Oh! I didn’t realize you were in the room.”
    “I was watching you. You don’t like the flowers, or you don’t like what happened last night.”
    Oh dear God.
    Helping me out of my coat, he continues, “I shouldn’t have jumped to that.” Off my questioning look, he adds, “To taking a break so fast. I was pissed. Friday night with your parents was a –”
    “—Blast,” I dryly interrupt.
    Chuckling, Ryan says, “Yeah. Loads of fun.” As he turns to the coat rack I slip out of my painful heels. “And then that bullshit at the farmers market. I hadn’t even had my coffee yet.”
    “Not a great start to a day,” I smile, silently hiding my shame.
    “And then suddenly I’m under the gun about marriage and I was just overwhelmed, babe. I snapped.” Walking to me he places his hands on my hips and squeezes. “I spent all night thinking about it. Did you?”
    “Umm…of course I did. I’m really thirsty, Rye. Mom made mimosas this morning and we got a little drunk.”
    Amused, he starts for our modern kitchen. “Bet the plane ride didn’t help the dehydration, either.”
    “Yeah—”
    “—I got wasted on the plane last night. I get it.” He pours ice cold water for me as I lean against the kitchen counter we’ve prepped food on for over a year. This was our first place together and everything in it is mingled with memories I can’t help reliving.
    As he animatedly tells me about how, out of pure coincidence, he sat next to a couple guys on the plane he knew from college, I sip the water and barely hear a word. Our relationship is playing out for me like it’s a 3D movie on an IMAX screen.
    I know human beings rationalize bad behavior, but I’m not lying to myself when I see all the things that showed how we’d drifted apart, now that I’m watching him talk. Maybe that’s why I wanted to lock it down with an engagement ring, because I feared we were on a slow decline destined for failure.
    But now here Ryan is acting like his old self, the man I was so attracted to. He’s laughing and mimicking the flight attendant asking them to keep it down. Gone is the sulky irritability, the quickness to snap my head off.
    And when I fake a laugh so well that Ryan thinks I’m totally on board and hearing everything he’s told me, he takes me in his arms and kisses me.
    “Hey,” he murmurs against hesitant lips. “You’re tense. You’re still mad at me, aren’t you?”
    Resting my forehead to his, I whisper, “We haven’t been us for a long time, Ryan.”
    His voice lowers. “I know. I’ve been working too much.”
    “It’s not all you.”
    “It’s mostly me,” he says, dazzling me with one of those smiles I fell in love with.
    I smile and slip my arms around his neck. “It was mostly you.”
    He chuckles then kisses me again. “Being here without you last night made me miss you.”
    Ouch.
    Ouch.
    Ouch.
    I was doing things last night that had nothing to do with you, Ryan, and if you knew about them you would be yelling at me and probably calling me all kinds of names. What am I supposed to do with all these feelings? I have loved you for so long.
    Instead of saying what is spinning in my head I murmur, “You sure you don’t need more guy-time in your life? Sounds like that’s what might have happened.”
    He shrugs. “I need more fun. That’s what I need.” Sliding his hands down to my ass, he smirks. “Ready for make-up sex?”
    No fucking way.
    “Oh honey, I’m tired. Can we do that another time?”
    The playfulness fades as