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He swallowed hard, wishing Andi hadn’t seen anything. But she’d been the one who found the jewelry. She was stubborn and hardheaded, but she’d also been a real trouper and an asset in all this.
His jaw tightened as he considered what to say.
Andi still stared at him, waiting for his answer.
He licked his lips. “That bracelet . . . it belongs to my fiancée.”
Andi’s eyes widened. “Your fiancée? I didn’t know you were engaged . . .”
Celeste’s image filled his mind . . . as did the reminder that the two of them were supposed to be married by now and living their happily ever after. Maybe they’d even have a baby on the way. But life had taken a U-turn, and everything felt as if it was in a holding pattern now.
Andi still stared at him, waiting.
“She went missing almost two years ago, and no one has seen her since.” Duke’s voice cracked. “But I haven’t given up looking for her. And I never will.”
* * *
My fiancée.
Duke’s words echoed in Andi’s head.
He was engaged.
He still considered himself engaged even if his fiancée had been missing for such a long time.
Andi’s heart lodged in her throat at the thought.
The sentiment was sweet.
If Andi ever decided to give love a chance—which she didn’t plan on doing—she wanted to find someone who would wait for her, despite whatever happened.
She and Stockton had tried dating, but he’d never truly pursued her. Their relationship had been a matter of convenience, and Andi had convinced herself she was okay with that.
Practical love and romance? In the long run, it seemed wise.
Maybe at heart she was secretly a romantic, and that was half her problem.
No one lived up to her expectations.
Her dad had always said she was too picky. Then he’d told her to stay that way.
So far, Andi had. In love, there was no room for mistakes.
Or . . . was there?
Wasn’t life about mistakes? About learning and growing when things went wrong? About being humble enough to admit your weaknesses?
Perfection was only an illusion. That was what her mentor at law school had always told her.
Hearing that Duke was engaged was a good reminder that Andi needed to keep her walls up around him. Duke was off-limits—not that she’d been hoping for anything. But boundaries were good, especially in situations like this where emotions were heightened.
“Tell me about Celeste.” Andi studied Duke as she saw the grief there. It was etched into the lines of his face. The slightly downward tug of his lips. The solemnness in his gaze.
He rubbed his neck as he stared at the fire. “We were supposed to get married not last summer but the one before. She moved to Alaska to be with me as we planned our wedding. When she got here, she decided to do some backpacking. She was an avid hiker and loved exploring nature. I didn’t have any more time off work, so Celeste had headed out alone to backpack the Gates of the Arctic.”
“Brave.” Probably not wise. But Andi was pretty headstrong also, and she might have done the same thing.
And experienced the same results.
