Page 115 of Not So Very Sensible

He huffed. “She’s unbelievable. It was her husband who told her about you and me up at the mountains, and I think she got scared and wanted to do all she could to prove to you that we could never be together.”

Her heart fluttered. “What are you saying?”

He took another step closer. “I’m saying that I told my family, and Lucinda and her family, that I wanted nothing more to do with them. That the engagement was a lie and I wouldn’t support it. And since then, I’ve been trying to find you, to let you know how sorry I am for hurting you, and that it was never my intention to hurt you.”

A tear escaped. She wiped it away. Then another trickled down her cheek. She wiped at the sides of her eyes with her fingers, but still they kept coming.

“Ellie.” He closed the gap between them, knelt before her, but still didn’t touch her, yet was close enough she could smell his scent of sea salt and spice, just as she had in a hundred dreams.

“Ellie, I’m so sorry. Please, say you’ll forgive me. Just say we still have a chance.”

We? Her and Ethan?

A sob erupted from her lungs, and she started crying in earnest, her hands covering her face. Oh, this couldn’t be real. It had to be a dream.

“Hey.” He shifted to sit next to her, then his arms were around her, and her head was tucked into the crook of his neck, as the tears she’d bottled up for so long refused to stop. This was so embarrassing. Yet so wonderful. Impossible. Glorious. Unbelievable.

“Is thi–this real?”

He chuckled, his arms holding her more firmly. “Of course it’s real. You and I are real. None of that was. But this is.”

Real. So real. And she never wanted him to let go.

For a moment, he wondered if he had pressed too soon. Then her hands stole around his back, and he clutched her tighter. “I’ve missed you, Ellie. Ever since we parted, I’ve felt like a piece of me was missing. And that piece was here. Because now it finally feels like things are right again.”

Her head bobbed. “I know what you mean.”

His neck was getting wet, but he didn’t care. The fact she was letting him hug her, and she was hugging him—especially when she was the person who apparently didn’t like hugs—meant so much.

A noise stole his attention to the top of the stairs, where Mrs. Bennett stood with her hands clasped over her chest, a smile wreathing her face. When she noticed him noticing her, she jumped a little, then winced, and made a crossed heart gesture then left.

“Was that my mother?” Ellie mumbled.

“Yes.” He smiled.

“Oh, this is so embarrassing.”

“It’s not.”

“You say that because you’re not the one who’s been crying like a baby.”

“I think it’s called the releasing of emotion. And I can understand why this feels like a lot to release. It’s been crazy lately.”

Another bob of her head, then she pressed her face into his neck. “I—I didn’t know what to think.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I thought there was something wrong with me.”

His heart grieved. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re wonderful.”

“I—I’ve never had any guy show any interest in me, so I didn’t know what to think, because I don’t know how to do any of this.”

“Any of what?” he asked softly.

“This.” She clutched him more firmly.

He closed his eyes. “I’d say it’s going just fine.”