couldn’t
stop the hysterical laughter bubbling up. “I can’t believe you
would think that.”
“When I heard
you were here with him, I knew something must be going on.”
She narrowed
her eyes as his words registered. “How did you know I wasn’t alone
on the island?”
“I called
Lauren. She told me.”
Anna vowed to
deal with her cousin later. “She had no right to tell you that.
Justin and I are just friends.” Just thinking of that kiss made her
skin tingle.
“Are you sure
about that?” he asked, folding his arms over his bare chest.
Squaring her
shoulders, she said, “I really don’t owe you an explanation.
Nothing is going on between me and Justin, and even if there was,
our relationship is over.” She immediately regretted her harsh tone
when she saw the hurt in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt
you. I just need you to understand it’s time for us to move
on.”
“I don’t know
how to do that.” He reached for her hand. “When I thought of my
future, my wife, the mother of my children, I always thought of
you. I still do.”
Tom rarely
showed emotion, so Anna didn’t think to question his sincerity. “I
know that moving on is hard, for me too, but prolonging the
inevitable is only going to hurt us more in the end. You must know
that.”
He opened his
arms, and she hesitated. Given his state of undress, the gesture
seemed too intimate for a couple on the brink of saying their final
good-bye. Chastising herself for over-thinking, she stepped into
his waiting arms and laid her head on his shoulder. “I wish things
could have been different.”
He stroked her
hair and whispered, “I just want you to be happy.”
“I want the
same for you.”
He held her
face between his hands and tipped her head back. “Are you sure we
can’t find that together?”
“I wish we
could,” she said, knowing her life would be so much easier if she
could convince herself to pick up where she left off with Tom.
“Is it because
of him?”
She didn’t
bother to pretend she didn’t know who he was talking about. “No,
I’m not fooling myself into believing I could ever have a future
with someone like Justin. I want stability in my life, someone
who’ll be around to help me raise our children. I would never have
that kind of guarantee with someone like him.”
Tom stepped
back, putting some distance between them as he regarded her. He was
obviously considering his next words carefully. “There are no
guarantees in life, Anna. I see people pass through my emergency
room every day facing death when they thought they had another
forty or fifty years to do all the things they wanted to do.”
“But it’s
different with Justin. He knowingly takes the risk every time he
climbs into that car.”
“We all take
risks every time we drive a car, cross the street, climb aboard an
airplane.” He smiled. “You can’t stop living because you’re afraid
of dying.”
She couldn’t
believe what she was hearing. Was he encouraging her to take a
chance on Justin? “You think I’m afraid to take risks, don’t you?”
Few people knew her as well as Tom did, so she welcomed his
insight.
“I’m ashamed to
admit I always encouraged you to play it safe because I was afraid
that if you started taking on new challenges, you’d develop more
confidence and realize you didn’t need me anymore.”
Anna couldn’t
believe Tom, who had always been confident to the point of
arrogance, had lived with the fear of being less than she needed.
“I’ve never been a risk taker. That’s not who I am.”
He smiled. “But
sometimes you have to take a chance, or you run the risk of living
the rest of your life with regret, wondering what might have
been.”
She knew he was
right, but she favored calculated risks. She knew what she wanted,
and she believed in making choices that supported her goals.
Falling for a man like Justin, who was only looking for a way to
forget his problems for a while, would be
stop the hysterical laughter bubbling up. “I can’t believe you
would think that.”
“When I heard
you were here with him, I knew something must be going on.”
She narrowed
her eyes as his words registered. “How did you know I wasn’t alone
on the island?”
“I called
Lauren. She told me.”
Anna vowed to
deal with her cousin later. “She had no right to tell you that.
Justin and I are just friends.” Just thinking of that kiss made her
skin tingle.
“Are you sure
about that?” he asked, folding his arms over his bare chest.
Squaring her
shoulders, she said, “I really don’t owe you an explanation.
Nothing is going on between me and Justin, and even if there was,
our relationship is over.” She immediately regretted her harsh tone
when she saw the hurt in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt
you. I just need you to understand it’s time for us to move
on.”
“I don’t know
how to do that.” He reached for her hand. “When I thought of my
future, my wife, the mother of my children, I always thought of
you. I still do.”
Tom rarely
showed emotion, so Anna didn’t think to question his sincerity. “I
know that moving on is hard, for me too, but prolonging the
inevitable is only going to hurt us more in the end. You must know
that.”
He opened his
arms, and she hesitated. Given his state of undress, the gesture
seemed too intimate for a couple on the brink of saying their final
good-bye. Chastising herself for over-thinking, she stepped into
his waiting arms and laid her head on his shoulder. “I wish things
could have been different.”
He stroked her
hair and whispered, “I just want you to be happy.”
“I want the
same for you.”
He held her
face between his hands and tipped her head back. “Are you sure we
can’t find that together?”
“I wish we
could,” she said, knowing her life would be so much easier if she
could convince herself to pick up where she left off with Tom.
“Is it because
of him?”
She didn’t
bother to pretend she didn’t know who he was talking about. “No,
I’m not fooling myself into believing I could ever have a future
with someone like Justin. I want stability in my life, someone
who’ll be around to help me raise our children. I would never have
that kind of guarantee with someone like him.”
Tom stepped
back, putting some distance between them as he regarded her. He was
obviously considering his next words carefully. “There are no
guarantees in life, Anna. I see people pass through my emergency
room every day facing death when they thought they had another
forty or fifty years to do all the things they wanted to do.”
“But it’s
different with Justin. He knowingly takes the risk every time he
climbs into that car.”
“We all take
risks every time we drive a car, cross the street, climb aboard an
airplane.” He smiled. “You can’t stop living because you’re afraid
of dying.”
She couldn’t
believe what she was hearing. Was he encouraging her to take a
chance on Justin? “You think I’m afraid to take risks, don’t you?”
Few people knew her as well as Tom did, so she welcomed his
insight.
“I’m ashamed to
admit I always encouraged you to play it safe because I was afraid
that if you started taking on new challenges, you’d develop more
confidence and realize you didn’t need me anymore.”
Anna couldn’t
believe Tom, who had always been confident to the point of
arrogance, had lived with the fear of being less than she needed.
“I’ve never been a risk taker. That’s not who I am.”
He smiled. “But
sometimes you have to take a chance, or you run the risk of living
the rest of your life with regret, wondering what might have
been.”
She knew he was
right, but she favored calculated risks. She knew what she wanted,
and she believed in making choices that supported her goals.
Falling for a man like Justin, who was only looking for a way to
forget his problems for a while, would be
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