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I searched my brain for the right thing to say and finally settled on, “I’m sorry your parents aren’t the grandparents you’d wished for, for Kendall.”
Mark cleared his throat. “That’s exactly it. I couldn’t put words to how I was feeling about the situation, but you nailed it. When we moved here, I hoped they would have a relationship. Melanie’s parents live in California and have no interest in spending time with Kendall.”
“I’m sorry.” I moved around the countertop, needing to be closer to him. I could feel his pain from across the room.
He moved his hands as I stepped between his legs, my arms naturally looping around his neck. I closed my eyes as I breathed in his scent. His arms came around me, pulling me closer. I bent my head so that my nose was pressed against his neck. He was still slightly sweaty, but I’d missed this. His touch. Our connection. The way we could soothe old hurts with something as simple as a hug.
He was probably remembering his own childhood when his dad pressured him to work instead of playing sports or hanging out with friends and comparing it to their relationship with his daughter.
No words were spoken. We just held each other. I became very aware that my breasts were pressed against his chest. He dropped his head slightly, and his breath ghosted over my bare shoulder. I shivered at the contact.
His shoulders tightened. “Soph.”
My name on his lips was rough, yet held a warning. I was playing with fire because I wanted so much more than a hug or a dance in my kitchen.I wanted him.
Did he feel the same, or was he tense and holding me off because he didn’t want my touch? Maybe he was seeing someone else. I loosened my hold and stepped back. My cheeks flaming, I returned to my position behind the counter. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
He cleared his throat. “It’s okay.”
“It wasn’t right.” I waved a hand at him. “You could be dating someone. I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate me hanging all over you.”
My cheeks flamed brighter. It sounded like I was fishing for information when I shouldn’t care.
He stood and moved in front of the counter, his fingers braced on the cool metal. “First of all, I’m not dating anyone, and second, you weren’t hanging all over me.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked, my gaze hovering over the white knuckles of his hands.
He shook his head. “You hugged me, and I liked it. It felt good. Like old times.”
“Everything with you feels good. It’s like revisiting a time in your life when everything was easier somehow. When your future was bright with possibilities, and anything was possible.” Except that was never the case for us. My future was with my family. His was supposed to be the family business. He’d bucked his responsibilities, but I’d stayed.
Everything that happened during those ten years we were apart was too much to overcome. We were different people. Even if being here with him like this, sharing our struggles and me comforting him, felt right.
Mark straightened; his arms crossed over his chest. “That’s not exactly true, though, is it?”
“Which part?” My brow furrowed as I took in his rigid posture.
A muscle ticced in his jaw. “The one where our futures were ripe with possibilities.”
I tipped my head to the side. “Maybe not for me, but you enlisted and traveled the world. I’m sure you met a lot of people and saw amazing things.” I pursed my lips, thinking of Kendall’s mother. What did she have that he chose her over me?
“It wasn’t a choice.”
I shivered that he knew what I was thinking. “What wasn’t?”
“Enlisting.”
Alarm at his statement had me pausing. “Your parents made you enlist?”
He laughed, but it was humorless. “They issued an ultimatum. I’d graduated, so it was time to commit to the family business, or I couldn’t live there anymore.”
A chill ran down my spine. I could hear his father saying that.
I sucked in a breath. “You never told me.”
My heart pounded inside my chest. Had I misinterpreted his proposal? Had he been dealing with this on his own? Why hadn’t he shared it with me? The pain of that went deeper than watching him walk away.
He shrugged. “Would it have mattered?”
