Page 116 of Sweet Harmony

“I’ve missedyou, Connor.”

“Why?”

She sighed.“What do you mean, why? Look, I know things didn’t end well betweenus, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking in the last year. We usedto be good together, didn’t we?”

He shrugged,his gaze returning to Kira. They’d been here long enough. Afterthis dance, he’d take her back to the hotel room and try and giveher an acceptable answer for why he hadn’t told her he was engagedto Lisa.

The truthwould be better.

“Kira seemsreally nice.” Lisa squeezed his shoulder.

“She is,” hesaid. “She’s amazing.”

“How did youmeet?”

“She’s aclient.”

“How isdentistry treating you?” Lisa asked.

He sighed. “Doyou actually care? You hate that I’m a dentist.”

“I don’t hateit,” she insisted. “I was young, and I was stupid anddisappointed.”

“You weredisappointed? It was my dream that ended,” Connor said.

“Both of ourdreams ended,” she snapped. She took a deep breath, arranging herface into a calm mask again. “Look, what’s done is done, okay? Weboth made some mistakes that we regret. But that doesn’t mean thathow we felt –feel– for each other is over.”

“What are youtalking about?” Connor said.

“Us,” Lisasaid. “I’m talking about us.”

“There is nous. You ended it two years ago when you couldn’t stand the thoughtof being a dentist’s wife.”

“Can you blameme?” she said. “I thought you were going to be a famous baseballplayer. I thought we were going to leave this stupid town and wewere going to make something of ourselves. And then the accidenthappened, and everything changed. You changed.”

“Well, sorrythat I couldn’t be all sunshine and happiness after my career wasdestroyed,” Connor said.

“Look, I don’twant to fight, okay?” Lisa said. “I’m sorry for what I said anddid, I really am. I know it isn’t an excuse, but I was young andimmature, and really sad.”

He could seethe tears in her eyes, and familiar guilt inched from his belly andinto his chest. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Lisa.”

“I know youdidn’t,” she said. “I forgive you for that, Connor, I do. I missyou a lot. In the last year, I’ve realized just how much. I want totry again.”

She smiled upat him, her face soft and warm, and rubbed his back. “Let’s tryagain, sweetheart.”

“I’m with Kiranow,” he said.

“You’ve knownher what? Two months? She doesn’t know you the way I do. She neverwill. She hasn’t been through what we have. Don’t let aninfatuation with her ruin our chance to try again.”

“It’s toolate,” he said.

“It isn’t.Think about how happy your mom would be if we started dating again.You have the chance to make up for disappointing her the way youdid. Don’t you want that, Connor? I know how much it hurts you thatyour parents are unhappy with how your life turned out. You can fixthat. Come back to me and make your parents proud of youagain.”

He stiffened,his hand squeezing onto hers until she gasped. “Connor, ouch.”

He released herhand, staring down at her as the back of his neck grew hot and afire burned in his belly. “You think the only way I can make myparents proud is by dating you?”

“They love me,”Lisa said. “They know that I’m good for you. You could move backhome, open your own practice here in Willington. We’ll get marriedand give your mom a couple grandchildren. We’ll be happy together,just like we were before the accident.”

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