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The Hamptons were tempting. Close, but not so much that we’d be bothered. It was cold, though. She wouldn’t really be able to enjoy the sand or the water.
The exotic locales were a good possibility. If this all went to shit—no, we couldn’t go that far. One day I’d take her—I had to stop thinking like that. Needed to grasp the concept that we would never have a relationship beyond sharing a child.
Then why was I doing this? To try to make her happy? Nothing would please the woman. Some semi-romantic getaway wasn’t going to miraculously change her mind.
But part of me hoped it would.
When Jack had married her, she couldn’t have been the fiery one she was now. He’d have never been able to handle her. No man could. Yet I found myself attempting it at every turn. Because with Marlow, I saw something I’d never had a vision of before. A future with more than meaningless . . . everything. Was I crazy?
“Screw this.”
Just as I put my hand on the lid of my laptop, a photograph of a cottage struck me. I clicked on the picture. It was quaint, appeared fairly secluded. I scrolled through the photo album of the rental listing. The sand was white. Water pretty. There was a hammock and a grill. And it was open starting Saturday.
“I have a doctor’s appointment today.”
“Wouldn’t you think that’s something I needed to know before now?” She shrugged. “What time?”
“Ten.”
“As in an hour from now?”
“Blake can come with me.”
My fingers flew across my phone as I typed out a text to Gerard to clear my schedule for the day.
“I’m coming too.”
“No,” she said quickly.
“Yes. Can you have ginger ale?”
“I thought you were the expert,” she said petulantly.
“Feel okay?”
“Super.”
“We’d better get a move on.”
She remained seated on the barstool. “Last night.” Her cheeks turned red. “I haven’t done that in a while.”
“Definea while.”
“I don’t know.” She looked down at her lap. “Did I ruin the wedding?”
“Honestly, I don’t have a clue. I couldn’t tell you if they even took their vows.”
She jerked her head up, incredulity in her dark pools.
“I was back at the funeral,” she finally admitted. No wonder she’d run.
I had no clue what it felt like to lose someone I loved. Well, apart from my grandparents. So, I couldn’t understand the grief she was experiencing, but her reaction spoke volumes. She’d let me hold her.
“I . . . haven’t been in a church since then, and as I sat there, all I could see was the flowers, his picture . . .”
Always back to Jack.
Damn it.
