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Dakota was staring out the window. Norma Jean’s words still echoed in her head. Ever since the day Susan and Norma Jean did their version of an intervention, Dakota had been a whirlwind of activity. She had taken Norma Jean’s advice and had gotten back on the mat to fight for her happiness. She joined a grief support group, a gym and reevaluated the things in life that truly made her happy. Every day was not a picnic, and her sadness at not having her parents threatened to incapacitate her at times, but Dakota was learning that on those days, she had to hang in there and weather the storm because the sun always came out.
In her heart, Dakota knew that it was the same for her relationship with Logan. Not once had she ever wavered in her belief that they would get back together. Her love for him was a constant in her life, and in the face of adversity had only thrived like a live plant stretching to reach sunlight.
Today’s prime directive was to see Logan and make peace. She could not go another day with the two of them at odds. Dakota did not know what she would say when she saw him, but she would make sure he understood that life was too short, and she wanted her time to be spent in the arms of the man she loved.
With a confident smile, she stepped out into the sunlight, and into the cab waiting for her at the curb.
* * *
Miranda walked around to the small garden and sat down.
“When you going talk about it?”
Logan did not bother looking up. “I’m not.”
“How long you going be moping about?”
“I’m not moping. I’m thinking.”
“Really now? What you be thinking bout—or should I say whom?”
“Not necessary. The answer hasn’t changed in the week that you’ve been asking.”
She smiled. “Yeah, well, the mind can’t always deliver what the heart wants, Logan.”
He stood up and kissed her on the cheek. “I know.”
* * *
Walking down the path to his villa, Logan reflected on life since he and Dakota broke up. He had issued an ultimatum, and it had blown up in his face. There was no move left for him to make. He thought of his aunt waiting in the wings to find him his dream girl. He did not have the heart to tell her that any attempts to fix him up would be in vain. There was no other woman for him but Dakota. She was the only woman he would ever want. In fact, he had done nothing since he had seen her last but think about her. No work, no distractions and no excuses. He took a long, hard look at his life and his relationship with her from every possible angle.
She was absolutely right. He had run away at the first sign of discord. He had started ten years ago, and he had not stopped running since. All the declarations he had been spouting since moving home were just lip service. Not once had he evaluated his own actions, or motivation when it came to being in a relationship with her. He was so intent on paying for the sins of the past that he never stopped to live in the present. It took Adrian to point out that his pride was interfering with his happiness, and that he still loved Dakota with all of his heart. This was their bump in the road, and somehow the two of them had to find their way back to each other. There was no other alternative for Logan because without her, his foundation had crumbled, and so had his heart.
He picked up his cell phone, but then hung up. This was not a conversation for the telephone. It had to be in person. Decision made, Logan headed back to his villa to pack.
He walked in to find Dakota sitting in his living room. He stared as if she were a ghostly apparition.
“Dakota.”
“Hi, Logan.”
“I… How are you?”
“Well, and you?”
Terrible. Lonely as hell. “Good. So what brings you to Jamaica?”
“Work.”
His heart fell. “Okay. What’s going on? I believe you received the timetable for Belle Island renovation, right?”
“Yes, I did, but that’s not the type of work I came here to discuss.”
“Then what? Are you working on a new venture?”
“The kind of work I’ve been doing is more…introspective.”
He sat down on the couch next to her. “Really? Like what?”
“For starters, I’ve been going to counseling to deal with my grief over losing my parents. It had been simmering over the years, but I never addressed the root of my problems over their deaths.”
“And now you’ve come to terms with it?”
She nodded. “It wasn’t easy, nor is my journey over, but I have better coping mechanisms in place now, and I’m taking things one day at a time.”
“I’m glad for you, Dakota. That’s great news.”
“You were right. I did have a lot of baggage that I had never dealt with. It clouded my ability to see things for what they were.”
