Chapter 4 #2
“That’s cool. They look great strung through the trees.”
“I love them.”
“Well, I’d better get back upstairs in case Jax wakes up.” He never did, but she didn’t want to outstay her welcome when Duke was trying to relax.
“Don’t rush off on my account. It’s cool to have someone to chat with.”
“You’re a very nice man, Duke. Why aren’t you married with a bunch of kids?”
He grunted out a laugh. “Came close once, but that was ages ago.”
“What happened?” She asked the question before she took the time to think about it. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me. I shouldn’t have asked that.”
“It’s fine. She didn’t like it here, and this is my home. In a choice between her and Gansett, I chose Gansett.”
“What did she say?”
“At first, she couldn’t believe it, but when I refused to change my mind, she finally got the message.
If she wanted me, she was going to have to live here.
I guess she didn’t want me that much, which is fine.
I’d rather find that out than have her suck it up and make me hate it here, too, you know? ”
“Definitely.”
“Took me a long time to find a place that felt like home. I wasn’t willing to give it up.”
“I’m glad you stuck to your guns.”
“Rosemary was very good to me after that happened. I was a little heartbroken at first, but she told me I’d done the right thing not to give up something that meant so much to me.”
“She would know. After my grandfather died, her children pressured her to sell her place out here. They didn’t want her coming out alone for the summers. She flatly refused and told them all to mind their own business and quit telling her how to live her life.”
“She told me about that. She said we have to fight for the things that’re important to us. Gansett was more important to me than the girlfriend was, she said, so I made the right choice for myself. She knew I wouldn’t have been happy somewhere else. As always, she was right.”
“I love that you two were such buddies.”
“We really were. She was very important to me.”
“For what it’s worth, I agree with her. I think you did the right thing. No one is worth giving up the things that mean the most to you.”
“That’s true, but it was still a rather bitter pill when you think you’ve found ‘the one’.”
“I’m sure.”
“What about you? Never been married?”
“Nah, I’m not a big fan of marriage,” she said. “I don’t get why people are still bothering to get married. Why not live together and have a family and be together every day by choice rather than because you’re legally bound to someone?”
“That’s a good point. I think people like the tradition of it.”
“Which is fine, but when it’s so damned complicated and costly to get out of a marriage, and half of them end in divorce anyway, why does anyone take a risk like that?”
Duke thought about that for a second. “Hard telling. I guess in most cases, it’s a leap of faith.”
“Definitely. A scary leap of faith that I’d prefer not to take. I love the idea of two people choosing to be together because they want to be, not because the law says they have to be.”
“Playing devil’s advocate… People who get married seem to like the comfort of knowing that one person is theirs for a lifetime.”
“I don’t like the thought of belonging to someone. We all belong to ourselves, not anyone else.”
“Also a good point. I should’ve said the comfort of commitment, not belonging.”
“That’s fair. Sorry if I got a little heated.”
“You didn’t. It’s an interesting point of view.”
“Especially from a woman my age who’s supposed to be enthusiastically in the market for a husband.”
He cracked up. “You said that, not me.”
McKenzie laughed with him. “Yes, I did because it’s true. After you hit twenty-five, everyone thinks something’s wrong with you if you’re not married or heading that way. I hate that kind of societal pressure.”
“Have you felt that pressure?”
“God, yes. My mother wants me married yesterday, especially since both my sisters got married in the last few years.”
“Why is she pushing it so hard?”
“Who knows? It makes no sense. Marriage ended badly for her twice. I’m not sure why she’s still such a fervent believer.”
“Rosemary told me when she got divorced the first time, from your father, I guess.”
“Yes, he was first. The second one was worse than the first, which I wouldn’t have thought possible.”
“Ouch. No wonder you’re not exactly jumping for joy at the idea of getting married someday.”
“Exactly. I’ve witnessed two ugly divorces up close and personal. No, thanks.”
“Understandable.”
“What about your parents? Are they still together?”
“I was raised mostly in the system. My mom resurfaced when I was an adult, and I talk to her occasionally, but we’re not close. Never knew my dad.”
“Oh.” McKenzie was momentarily stunned. “That must’ve been tough.”
“It was. At times. Other times, it was fine.” He shrugged. “I survived it.”
McKenzie had so many questions she had no right to ask him. As messed up as her family had been, she couldn’t imagine growing up with no family at all.
“Hey, don’t be sad for me. I’m okay. I swear. I’ve created a family of my own that makes me very happy, which is why I wouldn’t leave the island even to save the relationship with my girlfriend. All the other people I love are here.”
“That makes perfect sense.”
“It didn’t to her,” he said with a smile.