Page 111 of Finding Forever

And suddenly, choosing one felt horribly like betraying the other.

Chapter 49

By four o’clock, Beth had cleaned a house that didn’t need cleaning.

She’d stripped Kayla’s bed, washed the sheets, and put them back on. The dishwasher was empty, and the leftover wedding decorations Peter had brought over were packed into two boxes in the spare bedroom.

She’d even wiped out the refrigerator. None of it had helped. Every time she stopped moving, she thought about Rosalind.

And Dave.

Mostly Dave.

Beth stood at the kitchen counter, staring at her phone. She’d picked it up at least a dozen times since Rosalind left. Twice she’d started typing a message to Dave, only to delete it.

Now she opened the last message he’d sent her.

Call me if you change your mind.

Beth swallowed. She wanted to change her mind. That was the problem. If she listened to what she wanted, Dave would be here now. He’d take one look at her and know something was wrong. Then he’d pull her into his arms and somehow, simply because he was Dave, the terrible weight inside her would become easier to carry.

She closed her eyes. She couldn’t use him to make this hurt less when he was part of what she was frightened of.

Before she could lose her nerve, Beth picked up the phone and called him.

He answered on the second ring. “Hi.”

The warmth in his voice almost undid her. Beth gripped the edge of the counter. “Hi. Are you busy?”

“No.” There was a pause before his voice changed. “What’s wrong?”

Of course he’d heard it. She turned toward the window. “Could you come over? I need to talk to you.”

This time, the silence lasted longer.

Beth closed her eyes.

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Dave said quietly.

“Okay. Thank you.” She ended the call and put her phone on the counter.

Beth went into the living room and sat on the sofa, but less than a minute later, she was on her feet again. She crossed to the window and looked outside.

The afternoon was beautiful. Sunshine stretched across the lawn, and the leaves on the maple tree beside the driveway moved gently in the breeze. After weeks of preparing for the wedding, Beth had imagined today differently.

She’d thought she might spend it looking through photographs, going for a walk, maybe seeing Dave. She hadn’t imagined wondering whether she had the right to love him.

When his truck pulled into the driveway, Beth’s stomach tightened.

Dave climbed out wearing jeans and the navy shirt she’d seen him wear dozens of times. There was nothing remarkable about either, and yet she noticed everything about him—the way he closed the truck door, the slight hesitation before he started toward the house, and the concern already visible on his face when he saw her at the window.

Beth stepped away. A few seconds later, he knocked and she opened the door.

Dave took one look at her and frowned. “You’ve been crying.”

There was no point denying it. “A little.”

His expression softened. “Beth.”