Chapter 21

Kristen’s POV

There were still a few tears glistening on his eyelashes. He was a beautiful man, and there was something intensely attractive about how vulnerable he was allowing himself to be in front of me. All I wanted to do was make him feel better. All I wanted to do was soothe him, body and soul.

Even his apology cut through me. I could tell he was sincere, and I could tell it was the broken man inside of him that had caused him to lash out and turn away from me. Hurt as I had been, I could understand where that had come from now, and I forgave him readily.

I stared at his perfect blue eyes, hollowed in with emotion. He was trying to sort out all the complicated feelings he had been avoiding all this time, and I could imagine how hard that was. A part of me knew that getting deeper into this with Jake was just leading up to heartbreak in the future, but how could I turn away from him now? Maybe this was the reason I had moved here to San Diego. Maybe I had com