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We continued walking away from the restaurants toward my home.
“How are you doing with Mark being back?” Brooke asked.
“I’m okay.”
It was unsettling seeing him at my bakery this morning. It brought back all the emotions and feelings. I was still attracted to him. But there was no way anything could happen. Not when I’d already turned him down, and he had a child to think about. “It was a long time ago.”
She squeezed my arm. “You never know.”
She was happy with Ben, who was someone she’d known since childhood. They hadn’t dated in high school. She didn’t understand that you couldn’t go back and change things. Relationships ended for a reason. There was no reason to revisit this one, even if my heart rate picked up when I saw him.
“We broke up for a reason.” Because my life was here, and his wasn’t.
“Are you going to share that reason?” she asked when we stopped in front of the steps to my apartment building.
“We wanted different things.” I wasn’t ready to share the truth. That it wasn’t even a choice. Ever since my mom died when I was twelve, I knew my life would be different. With four younger siblings, I had to stay and help my father.
Following Mark around the world would have been selfish.
Brooke smiled, but it was a little sad.
I didn’t want her to feel bad for me. I’d chosen this life, and I was content with the decisions I’d made. Mostly. It was only late at night when I couldn’t sleep that I let my mind wander to what might have been if I’d said yes.
Those images were usually enough for me to finally drift off to sleep. Reality was different from our dreams. Things didn’t always work out the way we wanted them to or thought they should.
“Keep an open mind.”
“Just because you fell in love with your childhood crush doesn’t mean we’re all destined to,” I reminded her lightly.
Brooke laughed. “Ben wasn’t my childhood crush. We hated each other back then.”
I smiled. “Did you really, though?”
“Ugh. All that matters is that we’re happy now.” The teasing had faded quickly to something far more serious. “You deserve happiness too.”
“I am happy. My business is successful. I have friends. My family.” Being there for my sisters, leading the Shops on Main group, and my business kept me busy. I didn’t have time for anything else. Especially not thoughts on what might have been if I’d made different decisions. Would I have kids by now? Would Kendall be an amazing big sister? My heart ached.
Brooke hugged me. “I better get home.”
She lived with Ben and his daughter, Cammie, now. They were building a life together. She deserved to be happy after her ex-husband asked for a divorce once he received his green card.
I waved to her as she headed back toward her vehicle. Then I unlocked the door and entered my house.
I needed to avoid Mark. I didn’t want him to know I’d never stopped pining for him when he’d very clearly moved on. For all I knew, he was dating someone else. The thought was a crushing weight on my chest. I dressed for bed, my limbs feeling heavy. The thought extinguished the remaining hope that he’d come back for me.
ChapterFour
MARK
The next morning, I woke early and pulled on a T-shirt, shorts, and shoes. I grabbed my phone and keys and left a note for Kendall, telling her I’d bring home breakfast.
She usually slept late, so it was unlikely she’d wake before I got back. But I felt better leaving her a note.
I stepped outside, breathing in the already humid air. You could feel that it would be infinitely hotter by lunch. I went through a series of warm-ups that I performed so often I could do it mindlessly while my brain shifted to the scene last night in the bar.
I’d heard Sophie say she had trouble sleeping, and I wanted to know why. Did it have something to do with the burglaries?
Remembering her reaction when I ran into her at the bakery the other morning, she’d been surprised and possibly a little scared. Maybe it had more to do with fear than surprise at seeing me.
