“Long after we broke up. Eight years, to be exact.”
“I bought it from this eccentric French guy, who was always going on about romance. He suggested naming the place after…”
“After what?”
I swallowed. “My first love,” I grumbled.
Her soft sigh sounded like a whisper in the breeze. “I see.”
I glanced at her. Did she really? Did she see that it wasn’t just about my first love, but my current one? That I never gotten over her? Maybe she was freaked out. This was proof that I’d been hung up on her this entire time while she fell in love with someone else and went so far as to get engaged. “Is this going to make things weird between us?” I asked.
She was quiet for a moment, her feet skimming the water's surface as she stared into the pool. “Well, things are weird enough between us. Can it get any more awkward?”
I smiled at that. “I guess not.” It was funny how the weirdness vanished when we were in each other’s arms, though.
“I don’t mind the name of the island, Lincoln. It’s just that I don’t understandwhy. Why even acknowledge me in any way after all these years? You’re the one who walked away. You named this place after your first love, yet you told me years ago that youdidn’treally love me. I’m so confused. I have been since the night I ran into you.”
The little quiver in her voice almost broke me. I turned in the water so that I stood directly in front of her. The moonlight made the tears welling in her eyes shimmer. She didn’t look away or flinch. This time, for the first time since we reunited, she allowed me to see everything. Her pain, confusion, and heartbreak.
“I know I hurt you,” I said, voice low and raw. “I’ve said it before, but I need you to hear it again. I’m sorry, Ava. I’m so damn sorry.”
Her lips parted, but no words came out. Her eyes searched mine, as if she were trying to decide if she could believe me this time.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes,” I continued. “But what I did to you haunts me to this day.”
Her breath hitched. “Then why did you… leave the way you did?”
My gaze stayed fixed on her as I gathered my thoughts. She and her brother had a great relationship growing up. I bet they were still super close. As much as I resented Ethan sometimes, I didn’t have the heart to hurt her again by bringing up her brother. Besides, I had to take accountability. Ethan didn’t force me to do anything.
“I was young and stupid, Ava…”
She let out a sound, something between a sob and a laugh. “Well, we both were. I guess I can’t hold that against you.”
A tear slid down her cheek. The sight of it was like a dagger in my heart.
“You know, Lincoln, I was mad at you for so long. I told myself that I hated you even.”
I hung my head. I couldn’t blame her.
“But the truth is, I don’t hate you. We were both kids when we foolishly fantasized about forever.”
It wasn’t foolish. I still wanted it. But rather than interrupt her, I stayed quiet and let her express whatever she needed to.
“I questioned everything after you left. I thought maybe I wasn’t good enough.”
I shook my head, unable to let that slide. There was no way I’d let her think that for another second. “No, you were more than enough. You were perfect.”
She smiled, but there was sadness in it.
“When I unexpectedly saw you again, I felt all the fury and resentment I had wallowed in for a time. I waited for you to show me why I should continue resenting you. I was sure you’d be different—some rich, celebrity jerk.”
My eyebrows popped up.
“But you didn’t validate my assumptions at all.” She dashed away a tear. “You’re still… you.MyLincoln.”
The note of annoyance in her tone made me wary. “And that pisses you off…?”
She laughed. “Well, sort of, because now I have no reason to hold on to resentment. I have to forgive you, Lincoln. It’s time.”
