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“I’d prefer you to tell me what you are doing with my daughter.”
I turned to face her. “Excuse me, Mrs. Valor?”
“Oh, cut the Mrs. Valor crap, Greg. You have known me for over twenty years. I think by now you can call me Liz and you can be straight with me. You broke Maggie’s heart when you went away. I understood why you did it, and part of me appreciated that you did it. I hated the thought of her sitting around, waiting for you to come back and not living her life.”
“That’s why I ended it, Liz. I wanted Maggie to have a good life and not wait for me. I knew I wanted to do twenty years in the military, and I didn’t want to put her through that.”
“And now? What do you want with Maggie?”
I slipped into a chair at the table. “To be honest, Liz, I don’t know. I didn’t expect to see Maggie again. I thought she was living in Atlanta, and I assumed she was happily married with a horde of kids.”
She dropped her head and put her chin to her chest. “Yeah, well, things don’t always go the way you want them too.” She pulled the chair out across from me and took a seat.
“Yeah.” I chuckled. “I am very aware of that.”
“Do you love Maggie?”
“Liz, I haven’t seen Maggie in nineteen years. I care about her; I will always care about her, but I can’t say that I love her.” I paused. “What I can tell you is that Maggie might be the only woman I have ever loved. There has never been anyone like her in my life since I walked away from her. Not one serious relationship.”
“Do you want a relationship?”
“No,” I said immediately, and then my eyes strayed to the door. “I don’t know.”
“Well, Greg, I can only give you my opinion. I think there is a reason that you never got involved with another woman. I think that you gave Maggie your heart when you were seventeen years old, and you never took it back. I think that Maggie tried to go on with her life, but she couldn’t because she was still holding out hope that one day you might come back.”
“Liz, I can’t give her what she deserves.”
“Deserves? Gregory Blaire, what are you talking about? The only thing that Maggie wants is a man who can be there for her. She’s a very strong woman, and she doesn’t need a man to do stuff for her. She needs a man to love her and be there for her, that’s it. She needs someone to share her life with.”
“What if I’m not good enough for her? I’ve got nothing except a job and my father’s house. What do I have to offer her?”
“You have your heart, Greg.” She reached over and patted my hand. “That’s all Maggie wants. She doesn’t need anything else, and I’d like pancakes, please.”
I chuckled at her abrupt change in topic. “I can do pancakes.”
“I’m going to shower and get dressed while you cook. Give Maggie a few minutes of peace. She’s been through so much, and this thing between you is a bit overwhelming. If it makes you feel any better, I think she doesn’t feel that she is enough for you either, and with the added burden of me, it makes it even harder, but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t willing to try.”
She set her coffee mug beside the sink and disappeared into the other bedroom. I sat there for a few moments, then pulled out the notebook from my pocket. In the back were the photographs of Maggie, old and new. Could Maggie and I have what we once had?
I shoved the pictures back in the notebook and got busy cooking breakfast. Liz had just turned off the shower when I took the last pancakes off the griddle and put them on the plate to stay warm in the oven until everyone was seated. The bacon was already on the table, orange juice was poured, and there was still enough coffee for everyone if they wanted more.
I popped my head out the door and didn’t see Maggie. My heart began to race as I stepped further out. “Maggie!” About three hundred yards away, I saw her down at the dock. I closed my eyes as I tried to rein in the fear that was on the verge of exploding through me.
I carefully walked barefoot over the rocky driveway to the grassy area and then toward the dock. Maggie sat at the end, her feet dangling over the edge; a breeze lifted her bright-blond hair and danced it around her shoulders. She turned and looked over her shoulder when she felt the vibration on the dock from me.
“Hey.”
“Breakfast is ready.” I put my hand out to help her up. She looked at my hand, and for a moment, I thought she would push it away. Instead, she slipped her hand into mine, and I pulled her to her feet. Once she was standing, she let go of my hand, but I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her forward.
Her blue eyes went wide as she stared up at me, and for just a moment, I stared deeply into them. I needed her to understand something. “That was more than sex, Maggie.Youare more than just sex to me.”
Her features softened, and a hint of a smile slipped over her lips. I cupped her cheek as she responded, “Thank you, and I’m sorry for saying that.”
“Did you mean it? Is it just sex between us for you?”
“No.” She shook her head. “It’s more than sex for me too, Greg.”
I leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. “I don’t know what this is, Maggie. Since I walked away from you all those years ago, I’ve never wanted more from anyone. It’s like when I said goodbye, I closed the door to my heart and locked it. Part of me wants what we used to have, only at a more adult level.”
