“Pretty fucking good,” he growled. “It’s a small peninsula.”
“Good point.”
“What do you want?”
“I came over to talk to you.”
“I’m not in the mood for talking. I was, but now I’m not, so…”
“Do you want me to go?”
He froze. Then he exhaled sharply and jerked his head. No.
“You’re right,” she said softly. “Youdidwant to talk, and I didn’t. I’m sorry I couldn’t before. But you’re also right that it’s a small peninsula, so we’re going to have to learn to share it. And we have friends in common who worry that we’re going to make a scene, so…”
That got her the barest hint of a smile. “A scene?”
“Maybe a screaming match.”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“I won’t stay long. I just wanted to bring you your beer and promise that I’m not going to break a pole cue over my knee when you least expect it.”
He laughed. It was short and cold, and it didn’t completely reach his eyes, but she’d made him laugh.
“But in all seriousness, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I could have read between the lines of what you were saying and I chose not to because…” She trailed off. He knew why.
Owen shook his head. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. You’re allowed to call me on my shit.”
“Nah, it was thoughtless.”
“You’re never thoughtless,” he said quietly.
Oh boy. She needed to leave before she fell into his voice and splashed around in the loveliness of it. So she reached for her glass and stepped away, but he said her name. “Kerry.” Her heart slammed against her rib cage and she stopped in her tracks. He took the world’s longest breath, held it, then shook his head. “Thanks.”
“What were you going to say?”
He scrunched up his face. “Probably the wrong thing. What I really meant was thank you, and I should leave it at that for now.”
“Okay.” She forced herself to smile, and to mean it. She did, but it was complicated. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Hope so.”
She turned around decisively then. It wasn’t any easier to walk away from him today than it had been yesterday, but with each step, she got a little bolder, because they would do this again. And again, and again.
Eventually, it would be enough, and she would be over him. She’d never loved anyone quite like this before. After loving Owen, she doubted that she’d ever actually been in love before.
It would take a while to grow out of love, too.
But she would, because loving him meant she had to accept him for all that he was—including that he had long been done having children.
But she didn’t have to accept that for herself. She could love Owen and leave him in her past. She would much rather have a fondness for what they’d shared than a bitterness around what they could never have together.
It wasn’t meant to be.
More than that, it wouldn’t be what she would choose. There was a sweet—maybe bittersweet, sure—joy in knowing she’d closed that chapter. She hadn’t clung on too long. And she was moving forward more clear than ever about what her future would look like.
Chapter Twenty-Five
