Page 112 of When Morning Comes Around

After they ended the call, Sadie wrapped her arms around Dom. “Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

She shrugged. “I thought that we were at the point where we could start getting on with our life together. This feels like we’re being dragged back into my past.”

“You have a lot of details still to take care of. We are getting on with our life together – this is part of it. We’re not being dragged back; we’re making sure that the loose ends are tied up so that we can move forward without any of it hanging over us. And there’s something I need to say.”

She raised her eyebrows. “That sounds ominous.”

“It’s not, you probably won’t like it, but I have to say it anyway.”

“Go on.”

“I know I said from the beginning that you shouldn’t let him walk all over you, but if you want to just walk away, I need you to know that you don’t have to worry about money.”

She cupped his cheek in her palm. “Thank you. That’s so sweet of you. I appreciate it, I do. But if anything, it makes me more determined. I’ll admit that I usually take the path of least resistance, but in this case, I’m not going to. I’ll figure it out – and I want you by my side as I do.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sadie looked nervous when she came down the stairs on Sunday morning. Dom went to her and cupped her face between his hands. “Relax, it’s all okay. I’ll be right there by your side.”

“Thanks. Can we walk on the beach this afternoon?”

He cocked an eyebrow, and she laughed. “I can’t wait for this to be over, and I want something to look forward to – something with you.”

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “We can walk on the beach if you want to, but that’s not all you have to look forward to. You can look forward to the rest of your life with me.”

She kissed him back. “I do. I just want to put this whole thing behind me.” She checked her watch. “Should we go?”

“Yeah, come on.”

He held her hand as he drove them down the hill to the lodge. Dale had wanted her to meet him in the restaurant last night. Sadie had refused. They’d talked about it before she called him, and Dom had suggested that she should meet Dale by herself at first. He had a feeling that Dale might change his tune when he discovered that he wasn’t just dealing with Sadie – and he wanted to find out what he was up to.

As they approached the lodge, he was second-guessing himself about the wisdom of doing it this way. It would mean that Sadie was alone with her ex for at least the first part of their conversation.

Dom intended to sit close by – close enough that he’d be able to hear – since he didn’t need to worry about Dale recognizing him. As far as they knew, Dale had no idea that she’d already met someone else.

He found a spot in the lot behind the lodge and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Sadie gave him a puzzled look, and he chuckled. “It just occurred to me that we need to give Taryn a heads up. There’s a chance that she might give us away, and even more of a chance that she won’t be happy to see you sitting with some other guy if we don’t explain what’s going on.”

“Of course! I’m glad you thought of that. I hate to think how she’d react.”

Dom chuckled as he tapped out a text. “Yeah, it wouldn’t be pretty. And it’ll be good to have her on our side. Has Jo ever told you about what happened when her ex came to visit?”

“No. She’s told me a little about him – William, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but I’ll tell you that story another time. Are you ready?”

“I am. You’re going to sit close enough so that you can hear what he says, right?”

“I am; I’ll be right there. And as soon as you want me to join you, just give me a nod.”

She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Okay.”

As they walked across the parking lot he said, “I want to hold your hand, the only reason I’m not doing it is just in case he sees us.”

“I know. I get it.”

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