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How does it make amends with Booker? How does it even the score?
It doesn’t.
It doesn’t do a damn thing but wear me down and give me less to offer the people I love.
A revelation hit, bringing in a tide of new energy.
If I want to make up for what I did, then I need to be a better man.
It’s as simple as that. No matter how badly someone fucks up, the only way to earn forgiveness is by making better decisions.
Which is exactly what I’ve been doing. So, if I can throw off the cloak of shame, if I can step out of the shadow of fear, then I’ll be all right.
I just need to be my best self. Nothing more, nothing less.
Just like that, the weight dropped. Because it was manageable. It was doable. Whereas punishing himself, denying himself happiness, was a lifetime battle that wore him down to a hard nub.
He got up, turned around, and started out—but something on the kitchen table caught his eye.
He flicked on the light, and the stark emptiness lashed across his heart.
This room used to be filled with her bright sundresses, her colorful T-shirts, and the mess of whisks, cookie sheets, and bowls from her constant experimenting.
He grabbed the piece of paper from the table and started reading.
I’m not sure who’s going to find this but thank you for welcoming me to the Dupree Ranch. This was the best summer of my life, and I will always remember it—and all of you—for the freedom it gave me to become my truest self.
Sincerely,
Grace
Stupidly, he brought the note to his nose and inhaled as if it carried her scent. It didn’t, of course. And he didn’t want a memory of her. He wanted her real and alive and vivid and smiling.
I have to get her back. I have to.
It’s not too late. It’s been four days since…
Fuck.Since he’d planned on proposing.
The cabin. He’d forgotten all about it.
The rose petals, the candles, bath salts, and champagne.
He’d never checked out, so they must’ve tossed it all away.
At least he’d kept the ring with him. With six pink diamonds surrounding the larger one in the center, he’d designed it to look like a flower.
Determination sent blood pumping through his veins.
He’d put that ring on her finger, and he’d get his family back.
Because he did deserve her.
And he would spend the rest of his life earning her love.
On his way to Duff Island, Jaime stopped in New York City to deal with some unfinished business. Something he should’ve done years ago.
He stood on Delancey Street amid the New York City rush hour traffic. People swerved around him, everyone hurrying to get somewhere. The lowering sun glanced off the steel and glass building, nearly blinding him.
