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My aunt was quiet before she set her glass down onto the wood table with a clink. “What you had with Margo was not great love. It wasyounglove. Usually young love is intense and cleverly disguised as great love. But the lucky ones learn that great love isn’t the explosive drama and all-consuming passion of young love. It’s subtler. It’s a deep, cavernous ache that won’teverlet you go. That, dear boy, is great love.”
I shook my head and stood, angry that everyone always associated me with a tragic love story that happened so damn long ago. “I wasn’t talking about Margo.”
Tootie smiled up at me with loving eyes. “I know you weren’t.”
I sighed, defeated. “I messed up. Annie tried to open herself up to me, and instead of listening, I shut her out. Then she found me and I dumped all my frustrations on her. I messed up.”
“When a door shuts, great love finds a window.” Tootie smiled at me one last time before taking her lemonade outside to visit her chickens.
My pulse pounded in my neck.Great love finds a window.
Annie had been loyal to Margo, even in death. Even when that meant sacrificing her own heart to save me the pain of knowing Margo never loved me the way I thought. For years I had been angry at how my life had turned out when I came home. Howunfairit all seemed, and Annie had loved me through it.
For me, that said a whole lot more about her character than the lie she carried. If roles were reversed and I thought the person I loved was hanging on to the memory of someone else, and that the one thing that brought my love peace meant holding back my own heart? I’m not sure what I would have done. It sure as hell wouldn’t have been an easy choice, that much I knew.
Besides, hadn’t I been lying too? Every time someone joked about Annie and me being together or asked why I would never shoot my shot with her. We’d both been lying for years. Sure, I was angry for all the wasted years between us, but when it came down to it, I never had the balls to tell her how I felt either.
I was just as complicit as she was.
I stood, knowing exactly what I needed to do.
I stomped toward the door, setting Henrietta down and gripping the doorframe to look back at my aunt. With renewed energy, I flashed her a smile and tore out of her house and leaped off the porch stairs as I raced toward my truck.
“Heading home?” Tootie called out across the yard, and little Henrietta ran toward me.
Hopeful excitement raced through me. “Going to make things right for my girl!”
THIRTY-FIVE
ANNIE
Sittingon the rickety stairs to the barn apartment, I let the bright summer sun wash over me. Closing my eyes, I felt its warmth seep into my skin. The crunch of tires on gravel had me peeking through one eye.
Surprised to see Beckett’s work truck rolling down the driveway, I opened both eyes and sat a little straighter. He came to a stop and climbed out, but instead of heading toward Highfield House like I’d imagined he would, he walked toward me.
“Morning!” I called out. “Helping with the move?” Lark and Wyatt had finally finished their home build and had spent the last few days packing up and moving everything over to the new custom home Beckett had helped them build.
Beckett shook his head as he stopped in front of me. He tipped his head toward the barn. “Came to check out my new jobsite.”
My nose crinkled. “Jobsite? I thought you and Kate were taking a break between filming?”
He smirked. “Something came up.”
I looked over at the creepy-ass barn below my temporary apartment. For as long as I could remember, it had been mostly vacant, save for random Sullivan storage. “Did Tootie finally decide to fix it up?”
Beckett’s eyes narrowed at me. “Something like that. I just need to get in there and start taking a few measurements.”
I stood, slapping my hands against my thighs. “Well, don’t let me keep you.”
I had taken a few steps up toward my apartment when Beckett stopped me. “Hey, Annie?”
I turned to face him as he continued: “You love him, right?”
I swallowed thickly and nodded.
“It’ll be worth the heartache in the end. I promise.”
A surge of affection for Kate’s grumpy, sweet man flowed through me as I rushed down the steps and threw my arms around his neck. He stood stiffly and awkwardly patted my back as I sniffled. “Thank you.”
