Spinning on my heels to face her, her eyes widened when she saw my face.
“Where is she, Harper?” My voice was a ragged version of itself. “Please, I have to get to her.”
“Gage and I arranged for a car to take her to our shore house on Long Beach Island in New Jersey. I knew she needed a place to be alone, so I gave her a key.” She paused and stepped closer. Her hand came to my face. “I also know I wouldn’t let her do to you what I did to Gage. You should go to her. I know she won’t think she needs you, but she does. And I know you need her.”
I wrapped her in a hug as a sob escaped from deep within. She held me as I let some of it out.
And my father was right.
This was Mare’s story to tell.
CHAPTER 27
Maryellen
The beach in winter was a dichotomy. The blue skies when you gazed out the window tricked you into believing it would be nice when you walked out the door. When you did, you were blown away by the winter winds.
So instead of going out by the half-frozen bay waters, I made myself comfortable by the fire. Gage and Harper’s shore house was nothing short of exquisite. The couple trips I made down here to help with its design were all before the decorating was completed. The final product turned out better than I could have imagined.
The drive down Saturday night felt longer than it actually was because I was such an emotional wreck. The guilt I felt for leaving the way I did lingered into today. But I had to escape. I couldn’t face the truth of my own past.
Not yet.
The number of texts I had ignored became so overwhelming I resorted to shutting down my phone. The purpose of coming here was to think about my next steps, and the constant pings were distracting. Especially since I knew most were from Chase. But I needed to figure out how I was going to tell him.
Because I knew I needed to.
He deserved the truth. There was no more hiding it from him. My fear about how he would react to it couldn’t keep me from telling him any longer.
It really wasn’t a question of how I was going to tell him, but where and when.
And getting up the nerve to do it.
As I sat cozied up in the chair, sipping on my drink, I gazed out the expansive windows to the slushy water out back. It was almost easy to forget your problems when looking at the radiant colors of the sunset on the horizon. The fact was, I only created more problems by running from them.
I knew that.
It was weak.
I was weak.
And I wasn’t proud of myself for doing it.
The driver, Tommy, who brought me down last night, said he’d be staying near the island and to call when I was ready to return to the city. Apparently, he had a family member who lived nearby, and he looked forward to these random trips.
The call should be happening now, I knew that. But the pit in my stomach prevented me from turning on my phone and making it. Instead, I poured myself another drink.
That was when the doorbell rang.
It startled me, considering Tommy would be the only one in the area who knew I was here. I assumed Harper or Gage told him to bring me back to the city. As I made my way to the door, I conjured up an excuse to give him that would buy me some extra time here, prolonging my return.
I tore the door open, ready to plead my case.
But it wasn’t Tommy.
“Chase.”
The high pitch of my voice surprised me.
