“Why?” The one word seemed to contain about a hundred questions.
She would go with the simplest answer. “The last thing your family needs is to have me hanging around. They need privacy, and it’ll be easier for me to oversee the party preparations from there.”
Yes, that was the simple answer, but it wasn’t the only one. Kelsey needed space from the man in front of her who had turned her heart inside out, making her want to believe in nothing but fairy tales. By moving to the inn, she wouldn’t have to be reminded of how much she’d wanted to believe everything he said about love.
The tiny spark his beliefs had ignited was extinguished as soon as she heard Faith was canceling yet another wedding, but she didn’t feel good about returning to the world she’d known was true all along. She hadn’t wanted Will to be wrong. She didn’t want to be near him, where she might have to fight the temptation to try for something more, when her deepest fears were just confirmed by his sister. In the end, Kelsey had been right about Faith and about love.
His brows furrowed. The lines on his forehead deepened. “Are you sure you want to be at the inn?”
“Yes.” She wouldn’t give him the opportunity to change her mind about moving to the inn. “How is Faith doing?”
“Better.” The tightness around his mouth eased. “She’ll be okay. There’s someone out there for her—”
“Stop it.” The words shot out before Kelsey could stop them. Her patience had been worn too thin.
“Stop what?”
“Faith doesn’t need to hear about finding her one true love. She just broke up with her fiancé and canceled yet another wedding. Give her some time to catch her breath, not get all pumped up to find Mr. Right.”
“There’s nothing wrong with telling her—”
“Yes, there is.” Kelsey cut Will off. The words she’d wanted to say earlier were ready to spill out of her now. “If you’d left Faith alone and stopped putting so much pressure on her to find ‘the one,’ she would be married with a couple of kids by now. Can’t you see what you and your family are doing to her?”
Will frowned. “We’re not doing anything to her.”
“You’re influencing how she views love and marriage.”
He shook his head. “We’re trying to help her.”
“The best way to help is to let her figure it out on her own. It’s her life, not yours or your family’s.”
Kelsey’s words echoed in her mind, taking root in her brain. She replayed them over in her mind as if they were stuck on some kind of loop. Realization hit her with the force of a 7.8 earthquake.
Oh my goodness. She took a breath, forcing air into her lungs. Faith hadn’t been the only one in this situation. Kelsey had done the same thing. Her pulse sped up. She’d done the same thing by allowing her parents to influence the way she viewed love and marriage. Different views than the ones Faith had been indoctrinated with, but oh-so-similar outcomes.
I’m wrong.
How had she not seen that before? She had no idea, but seeing Faith with her family today had opened Kelsey’s eyes to her own situation.
I’m wrong.
She’d never been so happy to admit that.
Now, it was time for Kelsey to change what she’d been doing and thinking.
I’m wrong.
She’d been mistaken. It was as simple as that.
She was resisting love for all the wrong reasons. Her feelings were new. Of course, there would be uncertainty and doubts. But that didn’t mean those feelings were wrong. Life held no guarantees. Why would she assume there would be any with love? She deserved a happy ending as much as the next person. She truly did.
Will rubbed his neck. “We never meant…”
“I know that, and I’m sure Faith knows that, too.” Kelsey smiled, feeling something bloom inside her. This wasn’t the end but the beginning. The only problem was she didn’t know what she wanted to start. “Your sister will find someone to love and marry and live happily ever after with, but let her do it on her own terms at her own pace, without any pressure from any of you.”
He did a double take. “Wait. Did I hear you correctly?”
Kelsey nodded. Time to put up or shut up. At this point, she had nothing to lose. “What would you say if…” Her courage faltered.
