“Why are you more guarded?”
Shrugging, Edie drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. “I think that just comes with the territory of growing up and growing older. You’re not as carefree as you once were. With your decisions. With your heart.”
“But maybe with the right person, you could be.”
Edie chewed on that thought for a moment while Hannah sorted through another stack of photographs.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever find that person,” Edie finally found herself saying without even thinking.
“You don’t think you’ve already found him?”
“You mean Cal?”
Hannah waggled her shoulders. “Or Josh.”
Did either man make her feel the way Evan once had? Independently, no. They each had traits she admired, with their own individual ways of showing their affection. But even put together, they didn’t create the perfect man. Not that one even existed. But did she think she could feel for them what she once felt for her husband? She couldn’t be sure.
“I like them both. They’re good men. And I sort of hate this triangle I’ve found myself in, having to choose between them.”
“What makes you think you have to choose?”
“Oh, Hannah, please. We both know I’m not the sort of woman that dates around. Plus, it’s not fair to either of them.”
“I’m not suggesting that. I’m just saying, why do you think they are your only two choices?”
“Well, for starters, they’re the only two men I’ve had any interest in—or ones that have had any interest in me—in years.”
Hannah’s mouth hooked in a grin. “I can confidently say that’s not true. I’ve been out with you before, Mom. Men are always glancing your way, holding open doors, trying to start simple conversations. You’ve just always had blinders on. You were always focused on raising me and your role as a mother that you ignored your role as a woman. But I can assure you, Cal and Josh aren’t your only options.”
That wasn’t true, was it? Edie wasn’t sure who all these men Hannah alluded to were, but she had wondered if she’d missed some opportunities to connect over the years, her attention completely elsewhere. It didn’t matter. Right now, it was either Cal or Josh. Or neither of them.
“Can you see yourself as happy with either of them as you were with Dad? I mean, if that’s the standard.”
It was the standard. She’d never known joy like that since. “I can see a different life, I suppose. And that’s what I should be aiming for, right? Creating a different life for myself? Because let’s face it, my love with your father was a once in a lifetime thing.”
“Yes, your love with Dad was. But you’re still young, Mom, and you’ve got a lot of years left and a lot of love to give. I just want you to be certain about the person you give it to. That’s all. You’re lucky that you’ve experienced one great and epic love story. Now you know never to settle for anything less.”
Edie wondered when her daughter had gotten so wise, so mature. At what point had Hannah blossomed into this eloquent woman? A woman about to become a mother all her own. Edie just sat there in awe, thinking what a gift it was to watch your children grow into people that you could admire.
“You know how much I loveyou, right?” Edie stretched forward to cover her daughter’s hand and give it a squeeze. “How proud I am of who you’ve become?”
“I know. If there’s one thing I don’t question in this life, it’s your love for me. You’ve sacrificed so much over the years to consistently show me that.”
It didn’t feel like a sacrifice to Edie. It wasn’t a duty. It was a precious privilege.
And now she got to pass that love down the line to her grandson. That love they’d been talking about—the bursting, hopeful sort that made your chest ache in a wonderful way—filled her to capacity.
Thiswas the life she wanted, the daily joy she wanted to experience.
If a man could add to that, then great. But Hannah was right, Edie wasn’t going to settle for anything less than the absolute best in her life.
She deserved nothing less.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
It had been aday.
In fact, all days felt like that lately. And it wasn’t just time within the hospital that seemed to drag on forever. Even at the beach house, the days were long, the gap between sunrise to sunset seemingly endless.
