“I was horrible to you,” Desiree said.

“You’re a good person who’s scared to make connections, who’s been in one too many bad situations in life.” As he dipped his head, his eyes widened with sincerity. “You haven’t heard that enough, have you? That you’re every bit as good as you say I am.”

“Look.” She licked her lips, stared at the buttons on his shirt. “You’re not saying all this or…doing all this because…”

William waited as she strung the words together, pushed them out.

Her pulse wasn’t right. It just wasn’t. “…because you have some kind of feelings for me. Are you?”

He didn’t answer right away. Then, almost down to a whisper, he said, “You know what I wish?”

She began to shake her head then stopped. She did want to know.

“I wish you could’ve lived here,” William said, “instead of wherever it was you come from. I wish you’d have run here…whoever it is you ran from.”

She closed her eyes. God. Who says things like that?