Page 25 of Awakening Anna

“That’s seriously depressing.” This was why Anna preferred her romance novels—the guaranteed happy ending. “Did you know him well?”

“I didn’t know him at all. The girl is my mother,” he admitted. “She met my father in college, and they’ve been happily married for nearly thirty years, but she never forgot the boy from the bookstore. She told me the story about five years ago, and I’ve wanted to write it ever since.”

“How does your mother feel about you putting her personal life on paper for all the world to read?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t asked her.”

“She doesn’t know that you’re writing this story?”

Tapping the table, Max said, “Writers have a thing about sharing their work before it’s done. As if talking about it will piss off the muse or something.”

Anna could understand that. “But I thought you said the book wasn’t finished yet. So why are you sharing it with me?”

Holding her gaze, he said, “You’re an exception for me. In a lot of ways.”

Silence fell between them. There was no way Anna could respond to that. Not if she wanted to keep her dignity intact until he was through security.

“You have a flight to catch,” she said, rising from her chair. “If we don’t get moving, you might miss it. We can’t have that.”

“Anna,” he said, standing with her. His thumb trailed along her jaw, but he didn’t say more.

There was nothing to say. He was leaving. And life would go on.

“I’m okay, Max. Really.”

They walked hand in hand as far as Anna could go, and then turned to say their final goodbyes. Twirling a curl between his fingers, Max took in her face as if memorizing her features.

“No regrets?”

Anna sighed. “No regrets.”

With his hand on the back of her neck, Max kissed her one last time before pressing his forehead against hers. Seconds later, he disappeared through security without looking back.

As she turned toward the exit, the world became a watery blur.

---