Since he was a...Maggie’s mind whirled back in time. When she’d met Josh they became fast friends, sure, but that was all. There were never those kinds of feelings, not back then. She was two years older than him—an enormous gap at that age. “No, that’s not possible. He was just drugged and talking out of his mind.”
Samantha shoved the door closed. “Save it, Maggie, okay? He confessed the truth later when he was stone-cold sober. I alwaysknew there was something between the two of you. He denied it. Should’ve trusted my instincts and saved myself a whole bunch of trouble.”
She turned away and was gone before Maggie could even string together a coherent thought. What had just happened? Samantha’s words reverberated in her head.
“Since he was a teenager... He confessed the truth.”
Could Samantha be right? Josh had mentioned having feelings for her for awhile. She assumed he meant sometime around that first kiss a couple years ago. But had it actually been longer than that? Much longer?
“Mommy, aren’t you gonna get the whoop cream?”
Her daughter’s voice jerked her back to the present. Maggie opened the freezer door and stared mindlessly at the options. She needed to give Samantha time to exit the store. She couldn’t face her again. The woman had basically blamed the demise of her marriage onMaggie.
A moment later she grabbed two large tubs of whipped cream and took her time heading to the front of the store. She approached the register only when she was sure Samantha was nowhere in sight.
In a daze she waited in line and checked out, responding to Zoey’s questions and comments robotically.
At the car she opened the door for Zoey, who clambered in and buckled up. Then Maggie got into the driver’s seat and tossed her purse and grocery bag on the passenger side.
Gripping the steering wheel, she thought back to those early years as a teenager. All the games and goofing off and hanging out with Erin, Josh, and Ethan. Through Josh’s illness. Was there any evidence Josh had felt more than friendship for her? What about later,after Ethan went off to college? She depended on Erin and Josh for support, for things to do so she wouldn’t have to sit at home missing her boyfriend.
She shook her head. Josh had given her no indication of romantic feelings. He’d dated practically everything in a skirt!
And then later, her engagement, the wedding. Josh was Ethan’s best man. He planned the bachelor trip to Raleigh, stood beside Ethan while he pledged his life to Maggie, and gave a beautiful, heartfelt toast at the reception.
Had Maggie been completely clueless? Could the whole family have been so clueless? Perhaps Ethan had picked up on it. Maybe that was why he’d questioned her about her relationship with Josh.
Early on Josh had truly seen who she was and, according to Samantha, loved her. Another thought crowded in: Had all the women he’d dated merely been stand-ins for the woman he couldn’t have? If Josh’s feelings for Maggie went back that far, she must’ve broken his heart in a million different ways.
Pain unfurled in her chest. He’d driven to Fayetteville so many times during that first year after Ethan’s death. He held her, cried with her over the loss of his brother. He walked Zoey for hours. He waited almost three years to kiss her, and when he did, Maggie let him believe she was thinking of Ethan.
Her eyes stung with tears.
“Why aren’t we going, Mommy?”
Zoey’s voice startled Maggie from her thoughts. How long had she been sitting here? She started the car and a country tune provided background noise for her earth-shattering thoughts. In a daze she pulled from the parking space.
If what Samantha said was true, no wonder his relationships were short-term. No wonder his marriage didn’t last. Maybe he wasn’tromantically restless after all. Maybe he’d just been in love with Maggie this whole time.
Her thoughts weighed heavily as she stopped at a red light. The song on the radio faded out and a tender guitar riff took its place. The poignant words of “In Case You Didn’t Know”filtered through the car.
Her chest tightened at the familiar melody. The last time she’d heard the song she was in Josh’s arms, swaying to the music, feeling all the things he made her feel. She was thinking about his fickle heart and regretting that she’d been in denial about her feelings for so long. She was realizing how badly she must’ve hurt him.
He gazed at her with such care and affection.“It’ll be okay, Mags. I’m notgonnalet anything bad happen to you.”
She pressed a fist to her heart. He’d always been thinking of her, taking care of her. When she needed someone, he was the first person she called because she knew he’d be there. He listened, he understood, he loved herfor who she wasand had for a long, long time.
Her pulse thrummed in her ears, and her breaths came quick and shallow as her vision went blurry.
A horn tooted and she blinked. Green light.
With renewed energy and purpose she shifted her foot to the gas and accelerated.
Chapter 53
Josh was watching for Maggie out the beach house window. He realized that might have seemed pathetic, but really he just needed to clear the air before she stepped into the madhouse that was his parents’ Thanksgiving.
A bit of smoke hung in the air—spilled grease apparently. In the kitchen Mom fussed over the turkey and nearby Dad stood on a chair waving a towel in front of the smoke detector. Patrick and Owen pretended to help in the kitchen while sneaking peeks at the Cowboys game blaring in the living room. Since it was seventy and sunny, Erin and Will set the tables on the deck, their chatter carrying through the screen door. Mia ran from room to room in a pink tutu, waving a magic wand, its pink ribbons fluttering alongside her.
