“Happy,” she whispers, staring down at the photos. “Stupidly, overwhelmingly happy.” She huffs a soft laugh. “I think those years together…they were the only time I’ve ever been truly happy. Content, you know?”
Hell yes, I know.
I know exactly what she means.
I was truly happy then too.
On top of the fucking world.
Silence crashes over the room.
“Life has a way of knocking us down a bit from time to time, huh?”
She nods wordlessly before finally murmuring, “Yeah.”
I take a step toward her and she doesn’t move away.
“You could’ve thrown them out,” I say softly.
“I know.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No,” she breathes.
“Why?”
She looks at the photo in my hand—her and me, sunlit and recklessly close—and her voice goes barely audible.
“I needed the reminder. And…because part of me never really stopped…” Her lips press together and she shakes her head. “I don’t know. Holding onto you, I guess. Holding on to the happiness we had in the only way I was allowed.”
“You didn’t move on?”
She rolls her eyes like what I’ve just asked her might be the dumbest question on the face of the earth.
“Did you?”
Touche.
“If you’re asking if I’ve been in a serious relationship over the last ten years, the answer is no. I haven’t.”
“Why?”
“Honestly?”
“I think we both deserve full transparency now, don’t we?”
Okay. Here goes. “Because you ripped my heart out when you left and quite frankly I wasn’t the least bit interested in having that happen again.”
She bows her head. “Ouch. I guess I deserved that.”
“Harper,” I mutter. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to sound spiteful. It was just…however hard it may have been for you, it was equally as hard for me. And now…” I gesture toward the living room where my son is currently playing video games with another man.
Work husband be damned.
I’m not the one out there playing with my kid and that’s not okay with me.
She finally meets my eyes, a flush creeping up her neck. “Just because I left you, Harrison,” she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “it doesn’t mean I ever stopped loving you.” Her voice drops to nearly a whisper. “At the time I thought I was doing what was best for you. I loved you that much.”
