"He asked if I loved her. I said love wasn't the point. He said love was always the point." I finished my bourbon. "He refused to attend. Said he wouldn't watch me do this to myself."
"Smart man."
"I hated him for it at the time. Thought he was abandoning me when I needed him most." I set down the empty glass. "Now I think he was the only one trying to save me."
The candles had burned low by the time I finished talking.
Vance hadn't let go of my hand. His grip was warm and solid, an anchor in the dark.
"You're out now," he said quietly.
"Am I?" I looked at him. "I'm hiding. I gave up everything—family, money, my entire life. And I don't even know if it was the right choice."
"Do you regret it?"
The question hung in the candlelit air.
I thought about Elizabeth's face at the altar, waiting. My father's cold fury, my mother's confusion. The life I'd left behind—the money, the name, the carefully curated existence that had suffocated me for twenty-six years.
"No." The word surprised me with its certainty. "That's terrifying. I should regret it. But I just feel lighter."
"That's not terrifying. That's the point."
"You really believe that?"
"I believe you're braver than you think." His voice was rough. "Anyone who folds napkins that precisely has their life together."
A surprised laugh escaped me. The tension broke.
"That's your assessment? Napkin-folding as a measure of psychological stability?"
"It's as good as any."
I shook my head, still smiling. "You're ridiculous."
"Probably."
We were very close now. Close enough that I could see the candlelight reflected in his gray eyes. Close enough to count theindividual lines at their corners, the faint scar above his left eyebrow.
His gaze dropped to my mouth. Just for a moment. Then back up.
Something electric passed between us, making my breath catch and my heart slam against my ribs.
"We should sleep." His voice was rougher than before. Strained.
"Yeah." I didn't move. "We should."
Neither of us moved.
Then Vance stood, offering his hand to help me up. I took it, and when I rose, we were standing too close. Chest to chest. His hand still holding mine.
The moment stretched.
His eyes were so gray. So close. His mouth was right there, inches away, and I could feel the heat of his body through the thin fabric of my shirt.
Kiss me,I thought.Please.
The power came back on.
