Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1734

Keaton's eyes pleaded with her. "Can you just let me inside first?"

Winona hesitated for a few seconds before stepping aside.

Keaton shamelessly slipped inside. Terrified she might kick him out, he didn't wait for an invitation, making a beeline for her sofa and sitting down.

His eyes remained locked on Winona, following her every move like a loyal puppy desperate for affection.

Winona felt incredibly awkward. Still, out of basic courtesy, she poured him a glass of water, sat across from him, and pulled a throw pillow over her pregnant belly.

"I really need to rest, so make this quick."

Keaton looked at her, his face steeped in remorse.

"My attitude down in the garage was out of line, and I'm sorry I upset you. Even though I wasn't really mad at you, I still took it out on you. I apologize."

Winona remained silent.

Keaton's tone was dead serious.

"About that night... I have to clear this up. I was never embarrassed by it! I just..."

He shifted uncomfortably. For the first time in his life, he was realizing how incredibly difficult it was to coax a woman.

In the past, smoothing things over with women had been effortless, a game he played with his eyes closed.

But sitting here now, he was completely at a loss for words.

After struggling for a long moment, Keaton finally found his voice.

"I just... the second I heard you told Shane, I lost my temper. I was thinking... sure, things between you two are great right now, but what if things go south later?"

"If you two break up and he gets vindictive, he could leak it. It would destroy your reputation. You're an A-list actress, Winona."

Winona furrowed her brow, staring at him intently.

"So, what you're saying is... the reason you didn't want me to tell anyone was to protect me?"

Keaton neither nodded nor shook his head.

"...I just don't think you should have told Shane. If you confided in Elysia or Blossom, I wouldn't have cared."

Winona was utterly baffled.

"Why is it okay for Elysia and Blossom to know, but not Shane?"

Keaton replied without missing a beat. "Because Elysia and Blossom would never sabotage you!"

Winona fired back, "Shane would never sabotage me either!"

Keaton frowned. "You really trust him that much?"

It wasn't like she had completely condemned him as a human being.

Did he honestly not know his own track record with women?

Sure, he had been destroyed by his first love, which offered some excuse, but the reality was that he was a textbook playboy who burned through relationships for fun.

Calling him a disaster in romance wasn't exactly character assassination—it was a fact.

"Are you seriously in love with Shane?" Keaton suddenly demanded.

Winona blinked in shock. "What?"

Keaton's expression was stormy as he pushed forward.

"Usually, women bury their messy pasts. The only time they confess everything is when they meet the love of their life."

"Because wiping the slate clean is the only way they can dive into a new relationship with no reservations."

"The fact that you confessed to him about our night together proves that you love him and that you desperately value this relationship!"

Winona stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell are you babbling about?!"

Keaton's face grew even darker.