Page 20 of You Had Me At Valentine

The fallout with her family would have been brutal. She’d have been forced to live in squalor if she’d chosen me—and I’d never gone to college or law school.

I made the right choice. What if I told her and she finds it in her heart to agree it was the right thing for me to walk away backthen? What if she can forgive me? What would our future look like?

Because here’s the thing about futures—they always start right this minute.

She bites her lip, then turns to dig through her purse pulling out her wallet. “Since we’re apparently sharing ancient history, here’s a blast from the past.”

It’s a photo. From the Winter Ball, my arms around her waist, her head thrown back laughing at something I’d said. I remember that night like it was yesterday. Hard to forget when it’s on constant replay in your head.

“You kept this? All this time?”

She tucks the photo away, her eyes meeting mine. “Some things you don’t get over just because you’re supposed to.”

The air between us crackles with something I can’t bring myself to name. Because that’s an admission in her voice. A truth I never expected to hear.

“Lyra?”

“We should probably finish the playlist.” But she doesn’t move away.

I don’t move either. “We should.”

“I’m glad you gave me this.” She touches the pendant again. “It’s nice to know that we both have a hard time letting go.”

Whatever she’s trying to accomplish by using present tense in that sentence can’t be the same thing my heart wants it to be. That’s when I step back. I have to. My will is only so strong.

Especially when I can still feel her in my arms. And she’s wearing my pendant like she accepts the promise I had no right to make.

Plus, if I don’t step back, I’m going to kiss her.

I nearly crowd back in again, just to get a small taste. But that wouldn’t be fair to anyone, especially me.

I’ve never been good at denying myself, which is why I left and rarely come back to Kilt Valley. The forces Lachlan set in motion by deciding to sell the inn and asking me to work with Lyra to sell it can’t be undone, though.

I held more than Lyra in my arms tonight. The other thing vying for attention? Hope.

Because I’m not the only one who kept pieces of us.

Seven

Lyra

Ican still feel Byron’s arms around me, the weight of his pendant at my throat. The kiss that almost happened set me on fire and not even a cold shower doused those flames.

Probably I ruined any possible benefit of the frigid water by reliving that moment over and over.

I wish he had kissed me.

I shouldn’t be thinking like that. But I can’t help it. Things are not the same as they were in high school. Isn’t adulthood full of unwritten rules, like thou shalt not hold a grudge longer than ten years? Don’t hold mistakes over the heads of teenagers with raging hormones?

The thing is, I can forgive a guy for not feeling the same thing I did a million years ago. That’s on me, not him.

He broke my heart, yes, but we’re different people now at different places in life. Surely that means I shouldn’t look to the past as an indicator of what might be the result of renewing our relationship in the present. Right?

Besides, have youseenhow much he’s changed? Physically, he’s barely the same. Lots of other stuff might have changed as well.

I owe it to myself to have an open mind.

But I’m also the only one who can prevent Byron from breaking my heart a second time. Caution might be my best friend at the moment.

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