Page 99 of Can't Fight the Moonlight

"I can't have Lizzie and my job."

"You can find a way to have everything you want. If I know anything about you, Justin, I know that."

"I wish you were here—really here," he said, feeling the pain down deep in his soul. "There's so much I want to talk to you about. But you're just a dream."

"I'll always be with you, kid. But you don't need me. You just need to stop being angry and take a chance with your heart. If you don't want to let this woman go, then find a way to keep her. Or find someone else who makes you happy. But don't go through life alone. You deserve more than a ghost in a rocking chair."

His brother laughed, and the sound warmed him from the inside out. In fact, he felt so hot, the room began to spin. And when his vision cleared, he threw off the covers in confusion. He looked at the rocking chair. It wasn't moving. And there was no one there. Sean was gone. It had just been a dream, but it had been a good dream.

His lids felt heavy, and he slid back down on the bed, closing his eyes once more. Sean's image floated through his head. "I heard you," he murmured, feeling a remarkable sense of calm as he slipped into oblivion.

Chapter Twenty

Justin wasn't gone.Lizzie's heart beat faster as he came down the stairs and into the lobby just after ten on Saturday morning. He was dressed in dark jeans and a blue polo shirt, and he looked as handsome as always, but he also looked tired, like he'd had a long night.

As his gaze met hers, she mentally steeled herself for another round of attack, because he didn't look happy to see her.

"I thought you'd left," she said, as he paused in front of the desk.

"I was going to, but I didn't."

She stared back at him, not knowing what to say.

"Did you come by my room last night?" he asked.

"I did," she admitted. "I saw your grandparents' car in the lot, and I figured you might still be in your room, but the light was out, so I left."

"Because the light was out, or…"

"Because I wasn't sure you'd want to see me. You were really angry with me. I am sorry I didn't tell you that your parents might show up, Justin. I should have."

"But you'd made a promise to my grandmother. You already explained."

"The promise wasn't really what stopped me."

Surprise flickered in his eyes. "Then what stopped you?"

"Fear. I thought you'd leave the second you found out, and I didn't want you to go. I had another day before they'd show up. I thought we could have one more night together. It was selfish."

"You should have said something, Lizzie. You didn't like it when Keira blindsided you, and that was nothing compared to this. How do you think I felt being confronted by the two people who hurt me the most?"

She sucked in a quick breath, his words cutting her to the quick. "Really bad. But if I had told you, you would have left, right?"

"Probably right away. But that should have been my choice. You took that away."

She realized that was a big part of his issue with her. She'd taken away his control, and after the way he'd grown up, he needed to be able to control his life as much as he needed to breathe.

"You're right. I should have been honest." She paused. "Why didn't you leave last night?"

"Because my grandparents asked me to be here for them, and I made a promise, so I'm going to keep it. I'll stay through the ceremony and leave tonight."

She was more than a little surprised. "They'll be happy to hear that. They were very upset last night."

"Good. They deserve to be upset. But I don't want to ruin their anniversary or their big day."

"That's generous of you." She was happy that he'd managed to work through his anger with his grandparents, even if he couldn't do the same with her. Marie and Benjamin needed to have him at their vow renewal.

"Is it too late for breakfast?" he asked.

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