Chapter Thirty
Jackie
The way Mitch kept glancing at her as they walked, side by side, down to the hotel’s private beach told Jackie he didn’t remember everything from last night. She expected it; he did have a lot to drink. So, why was there a pang of sadness in her heart?
Maybe, subconsciously, she wanted him to have heard what she said when he was asleep. She wanted him to have heard how sorry she was, without having to answer the questions that’d undoubtedly follow if he was awake.
Then, there were the roses and the glint of something in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before. What was he up to?
It can mean either everything or completely nothing. It’ll be up to you.
Even though Jackie didn’t know what it meant, she had a feeling that tonight she would stand at a fork in the road, facing two paths and needing to choose one.
His eyes glazed with wonder as they reached the beach.
White boats dotted the horizon, breaking the seamless transition of sky into the water. The sun was halfway into the sea already. Muted pinks, reds and orange weaved through, reflecting on the surface.
Jackie smiled, slipping her sandals off. “It’s a beautiful part of the world. Not many places compare.”
Mitch turned to her and his face split into a grin. “Is that what you did for the past ten years? Watched sunsets all over the world?”
Her heart cinched. “Partly, yes. It was fun for a while. But after so many sunsets, it lost its charm.”
“You never came back,” he whispered, his gaze unwavering from her face. “If you got fed up with it all, why didn’t you come back?”
Jackie spread her towel on the sand. She sucked in a breath, smoothing the fabric of her dress.
“Can we sit?” She tilted her head, staring at the horizon like it held the answers she so desperately needed.
Without a word, Mitch sat on his towel, cross-legged, watching her intently.
Jackie followed his lead, feeling like her legs wouldn’t have been able to support her much longer.
“At first, I didn’t want to come back. Then, I’d waited too long and knew I couldn’t.
” She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, smiling sadly at him.
“You were the one I wanted to come back to.”
The muscles in his jaw bunched, his neck taut. “Why didn’t you?” he repeated the question, his voice a croaky rasp.
“I did.” She released a strangled breath.
“I stood at the very back at your graduation, from vet school. I didn’t want to miss it.
I even thought of coming over and talking to you.
When you walked up that stage …” She shook her head, her heart suddenly too big for her chest. “It was a glimpse into everything I’d missed. I didn’t want to miss anything else.”
His chest was rising and falling with ragged breaths. “When we had dinner, you asked me if I became a vet, like you didn’t already know.” He swallowed audibly, his chin sagging with his shoulders. “But you did?”
Jackie dropped her gaze, looking at her feet buried in the sand. “I wasn’t planning to tell you I was there.”
“How did you even know I ended up at Texas A she wrapped her legs around his waist and he hoisted her up, their mouths half a breath away from each other.
“Any other excuses?” he whispered.
Smiling, Jackie shook her head. “No more excuses.”
Then she kissed him. Layers of heartache, unraveled apologies, and core memories that had shaped them into who they were all spun around, merging into one feeling: love.
Fireflies of hope fluttered in her chest as he deepened the kiss.
Could they really work? She knew she had to tell him everything, and she would. She wanted to—she had finally felt ready earlier but it seemed tomorrow would have to do. And even if he hated her afterwards, they had tonight. Maybe it would be the only night she had with him, forever.
She was sure going to make it count.