And this summer had only drawn them closer. It only took an open confession from Josh. A shift in her thinking. Permission to open her heart. Once those pieces were in place, the inevitable had happened.
She’d fallen totally and irrevocably in love with Josh Reynolds.
She hadn’t even realized until she’d watched him shrink under his father’s silent glare. Maggie had always loved Josh. But now she wasinlove with him. How could such a tiny word make such an enormous difference?
“I just don’t measure up to Ethan.” His flat acceptance of the statement made her want to weep. “I never have.”
Her heart cracked. She pinned him with a stare. “If you don’t measure up, then why have I fallen head over heels for you? Huh, Josh? Answer me that.”
He blinked. His gaze drifted over her face as if measuring her sincerity.
“Yeah, that’s right. I said it.” And maybe she’d live to regret it. But God help her, it was the truth and he needed to know it.
The muscles in his face seemed to loosen one at a time. Finally he exhaled, the tension leaving his body. “Say it again.”
She cupped his face and fell into his hope-filled eyes. “I’m in love with you, Josh Reynolds.”
“Oh, Maggie.” He closed the distance between them. Brushed her mouth with his in the sweetest, softest touch imaginable. He touched her, kissed her like she was precious.
She wanted to melt right into him. Wanted to absorb his pain and heal his wounds and assure him that he was everything she knew him to be. She told him with her kiss.
A long moment later he drew away until his breath was just a whisper on her lips. “I love you too, Maggie.”
A short while later Maggie said good-bye to Josh and slipped back into the house. She stopped in the foyer to catch her breath. Gather her thoughts. She needed a second to process that she and Josh had just professed their feelings.
He loves me.
She palmed her chest. The hope and happiness in Josh’s expression heartened her. She clung to the image even as she steeled herself for an uncomfortable evening. She was a houseguest in enemy territory—or so it felt. Time to face the foe.
Erin and Becky fell silent as she entered the living room. Her mother-in-law’s eyes were bloodshot, her mascara smudged.
Guilt gave a good hard pinch. “Where’s Brad?”
“He and the others went for a walk on the beach.” Becky gave her a pained look. “Is Josh okay?”
“He’ll be fine.”
“Sit down, Maggie. Please.”
“I’m gonna go relax on the deck.” Erin squeezed Maggie’s arm as she passed.
Maggie took a seat catty-corner to the sofa and met Becky’s gaze. “I’m truly sorry you and Brad were ambushed like that. That’s not the way we wanted you to find out.”
“Erin already let us know about your mom calling her and the, uh, implications of that.”
Maggie’s face tingled with heat. Sometimes it seemed as if her mother ruined everything. “As you know, she can be... unreasonable.”
“You don’t have to say another word. I apologize for my reaction, sweetheart. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so caught off guard. You and Josh have always been so close. But in my mind... you’re still Ethan’s wife.” Her voice trembled on the last two words.
“You don’t have to apologize for being surprised. Honestly, if you’d told me at the beginning of the summer I’d be feeling the way I do—I think I would’ve been just as shocked.”
“I’m sorry about Brad. He overreacted. He—he does that sometimes. You know that. The anniversary has been heavy on our minds these past few weeks. The sense of grief and loss—it just seems never-ending. Those things that came out of his mouth were just a reflection of his pain. I know that’s no excuse.”
No, it wasn’t. “Josh is really hurt.”
Becky’s eyes teared up. Her lips trembled. “He does love that boy. They might not have much in common, but he’s always loved both his sons equally.”
Maggie gave a strained smile. “That’s a conversation for the two of them.”
