Sara turned back. “What?”
Jack shook his head. “Ellie isn’t gone. In fact, she’s staying.”
A look of bewilderment crossed Sara’s face. “I-I don’t understand. She was supposed to leave this morning.”
“You’re right, she was. But I asked her to stay, and she agreed.”
Sara’s eyes grew wide with anger. “Absolutely not! I won’t allow it.”
“I’m afraid you have no say in the matter. And before you say another word…” He held up a hand. “Let me tell you how things are going to be from now on.” Taking a step in her direction and feeling the fury boil inside him, Jack ground his teeth and clenched his jaw so tight it hurt. “You have one hour to pack your things and leave this house. After that, I don’t care where you go or what you do, but you’re not welcome here anymore. Is that clear?”
Sara’s eyes bulged with fright as her world came crashing down on her. “Jack, you can’t be serious. Please give me another chance. Are you willing to throw away what we have because of something that happened when we were teenagers?”
“Yes, I am,” he said firmly. “And despite what you think, I loved you, Sara. We could have had a future together. But I won’t be in a relationship built on lies.” He grabbed his keys and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“Out. One hour,” he said, holding up a finger, “and you’d better be gone when I get back.” Jack slammed the door behind him, leaving Sara weeping on the living room floor.
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
Blue Moon
With Sara out of the picture and Marie in Ohio, Ellie and Jack rarely left one another’s side. It was like old times, only better. And just as they had years earlier, they fell in love all over again.
And for a while, Ellie forgot all about her other life.
One muggy June evening, they cruised far upriver to a place they hadn’t been since that summer.
“That’s the island, isn’t it?” Ellie asked, watching as it grew out of the water. “The one where we—”
Jack nodded wordlessly, listening to the hum of the engine.
“How many times have you been back since that night?”
“I haven’t,” he said, fighting a tidal wave of emotion.
When he’d beached the boat, Jack lit a fire and spread a blanket. As darkness enveloped them, a full blanket of stars appeared in the velvet sky.
“This feels like a dream,” said Ellie, her face red from the heat of the fire. “To be back here, with you, after all this time.” She exhaled, a look of contentment on her face.
“A dream I’d rather not wake from,” said Jack. “Right here, right now, I have everything I’ve ever wanted.” His gaze lingered on her for another second before he looked away.
“Do you remember the first time we came to this island?”
The memory of that day came flooding back. “How could I forget? It’s the first time I told you I loved you.”
“Yes, and it was also the day you told me about the mockingbirds. For some reason, that story always stuck with me.”
“Because it’s true.” A shooting star streaked across the sky. “I didn’t want to say anything back then, but I knew it that very day. I’ve always known. You and I are destined to be together. It’s written up there,” he said, pointing to the heavens, “in the stars.”
She looked at him with wonder in her eyes. “You really think so?”
“Don’t you?”
“For the longest time I wondered, even doubted, but now… Back then it felt like the entire world was conspiring against us.”
“But that’s all behind us. Now it’s just you and me, free to choose our own path.” They sat in silence for a minute, gazing at the stars. “Is it still your desire to get married on an island?”
