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“Oh, my god.” Pinky covered her face with her hands.
Dolly knew this was a hard thing for Pinky to hear, and Dolly knew that she was hurting her. She also knew that Pinky was desperately, irrevocably, and deeply in love with Prosper. Pinky loved Prosper in every way a woman could love a man, which is exactly why this had to stop. Now.
“Honey, this is going to end soon, for everyone.”
“As soon as Maggie is gone then Prosper will leave and I’ll never see him again.” Pinky cried.
Dolly contemplated for a moment. “The way I see it, you still might have a chance to stop from losing him forever—if you want one.”
“More than anything.” Pinky didn’t even hesitate. In her heart, in her mind, in every part of her being, and despite everything that had brought them to this point, Pinky felt sure that she and Prosper were meant to be together.
Dolly nodded. “Then you have to finish this now.”
“How in the world will that help? How is he going to get through it all without me?”
“Don’t overestimate your role in this, honey,” Dolly said with infinite kindness. “Like you said, he’ll be gone as soon as she is. He’ll get on that bike and ride out all those bad memories and you don’t want to be a part of that. You leave him now, he’ll remember you as warmth and comfort and a sweet, sweet port in the worst storm of his life.”
“And if I see it through to the end with him, that will be the end of us too?”
“I think so, I think it will be.”
“Pinky?” Prosper’s voice cut sharply into her thoughts and sent her tumbling back to the now as his big shoulders filled the doorway.
He was a hard, tough man and nothing would ever change that. But Pinky had spent a whole lot of time studying Prosper’s body.
Thinking about it. Dreaming about it.
She knew his body better than she knew her own. And she also knew that he was in rough shape this morning. His skin had a grayish tinge to it, his normally ramrod-straight spine was bent, and his shoulders slumped with the weight of what had happened the night before. His dark eyes were filled with a sorrowful apology.
“I … I think when we were … I, uh”—Prosper scrubbed a hand through his hair—“think I might have …”
“You did.” Pinky forced the words out because she knew he couldn’t. And because she knew it had to be said. “You called out her name. You called out forMaggiewhen you were inside ofme.”
“I am so, so sorry,” Prosper rasped out. He leaned against the doorjamb as if standing had suddenly become too difficult, the weight of her words crushing him.
The thought of what she was about to do made her sick with remorse, regret, and shame. But she was going to do it anyway, because last night when Prosper had called out Maggie’s name, what was left of Pinky’s fragile heart burst apart with such complete and utter devastation that it had caused her physical pain.
“I think it’s time we’re honest with each other, Prosper. We both know this has never been about me.” Pinky looked him straight in the eye and then nodded to the cup she had put out on the table. “Fix your coffee and we can have that talk we should’ve had weeks ago.”
Once Pinky opened that door it was like a floodgate for Prosper. He told her all about Maggie, all about his feelings for her, his deep friendship with Jack and how difficult that had been for him. Prosper was honest and open and spared her no detail. His words, though hard to hear, were filled with such a deep yearning and complete love, and so much ragged emotion that it left no doubt in Pinky’s mind just how much Prosper Worthington loved Magaskawee Whitefeather. And how much Maggie loved him back.
“I love you,” Pinky began quietly.
“Pinky …”
Pinky continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “I love you … and you love her.”
“Honey …” Prosper reached out to her.
Pinky pulled her hand back from his. The movement was more difficult than she could have imagined. Pinky harnessed in all of her courage and spoke on, “Prosper, it hurts me to see you in so much pain. I would do anything, anything to spare you that kind of sorrow.I love youand if I could change places with Maggie, I would. I swear to god that I would.”
“Pinky, don’t cry. Please, don’t cry.”
“But I can’t,” Pinky went on bravely. “And I can’t be a substitute for Maggie, Prosper. You coming here like this is cheating us all. I would do anything for you, Prosper.Anything. But I can’t do that. I can’t be that.”
“I’m not asking you to be a substitute for anyone. Don’t say any more. I don’t want to hear this,” he growled out in a fear-driven anger.
“I can’t do it anymore, Prosper.”
