Page 78 of Crossroads of Love

I want to say something, anything, but I don’t know what. I’m so angry and heartbroken for her at the same time.

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees, trying to understand everything.

“Is that why you never came with Jay and Aaron when they’d come to visit?”

She hesitates for a minute before she nods and blows out a breath. “I used to tell myself that I hated you and didn’t want to be around such a jerk, but…if I were honest with myself, then I would say yes. If Aaron and I had been together around you, you would have called me out immediately.”

“You’re stronger than I think I could ever be,” I finally say.

She gives me a small, humorless smile. “I don’t feel strong. I feel like I’ve been through a war. And now… now I’m just trying to pick up the pieces.”

“I still don’t know how you’re being so calm about all this.”

She shrugs, a resigned look crossing her face. “Maybe because I’ve had so much time to process it. I’ve been grieving the loss of my marriage for years before Aaron even died. This… this is just the final blow. And as much as I hate Aaron for what he did and how he lied, I can’t bring myself to lose my mind over it again.”

I nod slowly, trying to wrap my mind around her perspective. It’s not the reaction I expected, but I respect her for it. It takes a lot to see beyond the pain and the betrayal to recognize that other innocent lives are caught up in the mess Aaron created.

“I just wish I’d known sooner,” I admit, my voice low. “Maybe I could’ve helped.”

“There’s nothing anyone could’ve done. Aaron was good at hiding things and covering his tracks. I wouldn’t have left, and it would have just been more drama in the family. But now… now it’s over. All of it.”

We sit in silence for a while, the weight of everything settling between us. She’s calm, but I can still see the sadness in her eyes, the hurt that she’s too strong to show outwardly.

“You probably think I’m a fool,” she mutters as she stands.

“I don’t think that at all.”

“You should. Who lets their husband cheat and doesn’t leave his pathetic ass?”

“A woman who thinks she’s doing what’s best for her child.”

She shakes her head in disgust, tears rolling down her cheeks. “It’s not okay.”

“You can’t change the past, Lena. We can only learn from it, look at the positives of the bullshit that happened, and grow from it. I know that’s easy for me to say right now, but…if you focus on the negatives, it will eat you alive.”

“You’re right, I know that, but I…”

“We don’t have to figure anything out right now, okay? Let’s just be together and make new happy memories.”

I walk toward her, pull her into my arms, and kiss her softly.

“I kind of want to be alone.”

“And I get that, but…what if we went horseback riding to see the sunset and then, if you still want to be alone after that, I’ll let you be.”

She eyes me carefully, hesitation all over her face before she nods slowly.

“Okay.”

Chapter Seventeen

Lena

The smell of horses, leather, and fresh air fills my lungs as I swing my leg over the saddle and settle onto the back of Honey, Henry’s golden mare. The saddle creaks under me, and I take a moment to adjust, feeling its familiar weight beneath me. I haven’t been out riding in so long that I forgot what a comfort it can be. The ground feels far away, but I feel a little lighter up here, perched on Honey.

Gavin is already mounted on Buck, his favorite stallion, a sleek black beauty that always seems to have endless energy. He looks so natural up there, relaxed yet commanding. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget how handsome he is, but not today. Not when the sun hits his face just right, casting shadows along his jawline, making his eyes seem even brighter than usual. His hair is tousled, and he sits in the saddle with a grace that makes me smile. He’s comfortable in this world, and being with him out here, I can feel some of that comfort rubbing off on me.

What a world of difference from the man who rolled back into town a month ago looking fresh off Wall Street.

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