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He breathed, “Oh sweetlord…give me strength.”
Following his line of sight, her eyes landed on Rowan. Her hair was longer. She wore an elegant sundress and heeled sandals. She was laughing with an attractive older man and the love between them was obvious.
One foot in front of the other, Nina made her way to a woman she hadn’t seen in seven years. Gage kept Miss Jeffries on his arm and they stayed close.
The man with Rowan, who could only be Bennett Jefferson, glanced past his wife, murmured something to her, and then turned her to face them.
Shock.
Embarrassment.
Happiness.
All emotions that flickered rapidly over Rowan’s face when confronted with the people - and circumstances - of her past.
Nina couldn’t believe the matured beauty, poise, and intelligence that Rowan exuded into the air. She was shy at first but graceful, calm, and genuinely attentive.
It was clear in every way that Rowan was deeply in love with her much older husband. When she gave Bennett physical support, she attempted to hide it.
Watching them together was fascinating. There was something unique - even unusual - about their relationship but Nina couldn’t put her finger on it.
After a few minutes of conversation facilitated by Bennett himself, the awkward tension lessened considerably.
Miss Jeffries sat between Nina and Gage. It was a visual they’d created to reinforce that they weren’t together. For Nina, it was critical that the message was sent - even though Rowan was happily married.
She wanted to remove the image of that night at eighteen but knew it wasn’t possible. Such tactics were as close as she could get.
They’d been talking for a few minutes when Rowan looked around with a smile and motioned for someone to approach. A man walked under the canopy and winked.
It felt as if Nina’s heart stopped.
Rowan couldn’t contain her affection as she patted the big man’s forearm and said to Nina, “The first time I met James, I couldn’t get over how similar he looked to you. The masculine and feminine sides of the same coin. Crazy, right?”
“Uh…” Nina had never felt the foundation of who she wasshake. It did now. “H-hello.”
“Miss Adams. James Statton. A pleasure to meet you.”
He was gorgeous but that wasn’t what she noticed about him. It wasn’t the height, the perfect body, the features so similar to her own, or the sound of his voice.
It was the way he glowed.
Something about him filled her with light, with hope, with alongingshe didn’t understand and wasn’t sure she liked.
He extended his hand and Nina put hers in it. His caramel eyes held hers and she was struck dumb, speechless, for several seconds.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Statton.” Nina’s voice sounded stilted. Her breathing was too quick and her heart slammed against her sternum.
It almost felt like stage fright.
He didn’t release her hand. Patting his arm again, Rowan returned to her conversation with Miss Jeffries and Bennett chatted with Gage.
As if they were alone in the world, all the sounds around James and Nina seemed to fade. Every part of her focused in on the man.
Still holding her hand, he knelt between Nina and Rowan’s chairs. It brought them eye to eye.
Having him evencloserwas almost too much to bear.
The breeze lifted his hair and the scent of him flowed over her. An incredible blend of man, subtle cologne, and what she swore was a pheromone intended to coax her into his lap.
