Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 29029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
If she only knew…
“But the thing is, Max, I’m not sorry.”
“I’m glad. The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you.”
“No, Max, you’re not hearing me.”
“Then…”
“I love you,” she blurts out. “I love you, Max.”
I’m gutted. Does she even know what she’s doing to me? That she’s cutting my heart into a million pieces?
Fuck. I rise, thread my fingers through my hair, draw in a deep breath. She’s trying to apologize, and I need to let her. She needs this, and I’ll see that she gets everything she needs.
I sit back down and meet her gaze. “I love you too, Jenna. That will never change.”
“No!” This time she stands. “You’re not hearing me.”
“Fine,” I say. “Just say it. Say what you want to say.” I brace myself for the harsh reality.
“You, Max. I don’t know why. I don’t know why I never saw it before. I was blind, I guess. Or not looking. But it’s you. You’ve been with me forever, and you’re all I need.” She stares out at the street for a second as a few cars drive by. “You were with me, you know.”
“With you where?”
She turns to face me. “On the island, Max. You were there. My safe place. You were with me in my darkest days, and you’re how I got through them.”
I wrinkle my forehead. “Jen… I wish I had been there. I’m so sorry I wasn’t.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Max. Would you just let me say what I need to say?”
“Okay, okay. What is it, Jen?”
“I love you, and not just as a best friend. I love you, Max. You.”
My jaw drops.
My heart stops again.
“It’s ridiculous, I know. After what I’ve been through, how can I be in love with someone? How can I want the things I want? But I do. I need this. I need you.”
I don’t reply. I can’t reply. My vision blurs. This must be a dream. A great dream, but a dream.
She wipes away a single tear as it falls, meandering through her scar. “If you don’t feel the same way, I understand. After the way I’ve treated you, I couldn’t blame you. But I had to tell you, Max. Please don’t leave. Please give this a chance. I’ll prove to you that I can be the woman you need.”
“Oh God, Jen.” I rise and pull her to me, inhale the tropical fragrance of her hair. “My God, you’re in love with me?”
She nods against my shoulder. “I am. I know it doesn’t make any sense.”
I pull back, meet her gaze. “Jenna, it makes all kinds of sense. I love you too, baby. I have since I was eighteen years old.”
Her gorgeous blue-violet eyes widen. “You do?”
“God, I do.” I stare at her. Take in every curve of her beautiful face. “As soon as I saw you again, all those emotions came back. That’s why I broke up with Mimi, Jenna. I broke up with her because I couldn’t marry her when I was in love with someone else.”
I pull her back into my arms and crush my lips to hers. After a long and passionate kiss, we break apart.
“This new job…” she begins.
“I have to take it. It’s an amazing opportunity. Chicago’s not that far.”
“But why do you have to go next week? Christmas is only three weeks away.”
“Jack says they need me right away. But I’ll come home for Christmas. I promise.”
“What will I do without you?”
“I have this week,” I say, “and when I come home for Christmas, we’ll talk. And if you’re ready…maybe you can come back to Chicago with me. It’ll be a new start for both of us. But if you’re not ready, I’ll wait forever for you, Jenna. I swear I’ll wait forever.”
18
JENNA
Christmas Eve
“I’ve missed you so much!” I jump into Max’s arms when he opens the door to his parents’ house.
He kisses me hard and then lets me go, a smile on his face.
“I don’t know why I couldn’t pick you up at the airport,” I say.
“Why should you bother when Jack sent a limo?” Max grins. “God, it’s good to see you, Jen. I know it’s only been two and a half weeks, but man, it feels like forever.”
“Where are Mike and Harriet?”
“They’re at a neighbor’s Christmas Eve open house for a few hours. Which gives us some time alone.” He leads me into the living room where a Christmas tree sparkles. He pulls a velvet box out of his pocket. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
When he opens it, I frown.
I don’t mean to. It’s a diamond pendant, and it’s beautiful and sparkling.
“Don’t you like it?” he asks.
“I love it, Max.” I turn around and lift my hair.
He clasps it around my neck.
“I was just hoping…”
“What he asks?”
“I was hoping it was the amethyst pendant.”
He turns me around to face him. “Jenna, I threw that away.”