Page 57 of The Promises We Broke
"You don't understand," I said, setting down my glass with shaking hands. "I was seventeen when he left. I was so sure we'd spend our lives together. I had it all planned out—college, wedding, kids, growing old in this town surrounded by family. And then one morning he was just... gone. No real explanation, no goodbye, nothing but a letter that told me to forget him and find someone better."
The room fell silent. I could feel their eyes on me, warm with sympathy and understanding.
"I tried," I continued, my voice barely above a whisper. "I dated other people. I moved away, built a career, convinced myself I was over him. But then he came back, broken and hurting, and all those feelings I'd buried came rushing back like they'd been waiting just beneath the surface."
"And that's terrifying," Reece said gently. "Because loving someone that deeply means they have the power to destroy you."
I looked at her, surprised by the understanding in her voice. Reece had her own history with heartbreak. I'd heard the story of her escape from an abusive relationship and her journey to finding love with Booker.
"How do you get past the fear?" I asked.
"You don't," she said simply. "You just decide the possibility of happiness is worth the risk of heartbreak."
"But what if he leaves again? What if I let myself hope and..."
"Then you'll survive it," Blake said firmly. "Just like you did before. But what if you don't even try, and you spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been?"
I stared into my wine glass, watching the liquid catch the light. The fear felt so much bigger than logic, so much stronger than hope. "I don't know if I'm brave enough."
"You know what?" Delaney said thoughtfully, setting down her own glass. "Maybe we're approaching this wrong. Maybe instead of focusing on your fear, we should look at examples of people who found love worth fighting for, even when it seemed impossible."
"Like who?" I asked, though I suspected she had someone specific in mind.
Blake and Reece exchanged a look, and I could see some kind of silent conversation happening between them.
"Actually," Reece said carefully, "that's something we've been meaning to talk to you about. Blake and I have been doing some research lately. About second chances and lost loves and whether some connections are strong enough to survive decades apart."
"Research?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Well, it was more snooping, but research makes it sound less like a complete invasion of privacy. About Jasper's past," Blake explained. "About Caroline."
My eyebrows shot up. "Caroline?"
"The woman Jasper had the affair with when Trace was a baby," Delaney explained quietly.
"We found her," Reece said quietly. "She's living in Blue Point Bay, about two hours north. She's a retired nurse. She worked atthe children's hospital there for thirty years before retiring last year."
"That's..." I paused, processing. "That's wonderful that you found her, but what does this have to do with..."
"She has a daughter," Blake said. "Twenty-six years old."
The implication hit me like a physical blow. "Oh my god."
"We don't know for sure," Reece said quickly. "But the timing... and when you see the photos, the resemblance to Jasper is unmistakable."
"Does he know?" I asked.
"We don't think so," Blake said. "From what we can tell, Caroline moved away when she found out she was pregnant and never told him."
I stared at them, my mind reeling. "They might have a half-sister they don't know about."
"And Jasper might have left the woman he loved, who was carrying his child, when he went back to Regina and let her emotionally abuse the whole family for years," Delaney added. "It puts his whole marriage, his whole life, in a different context."
"God, that's heartbreaking," I whispered.
"It is," Emma agreed. "But it's also hopeful. Because if Caroline has spent twenty-six years raising his daughter alone, maybe she's been thinking about him too. Maybe she's been waiting for him to find her."
"Or maybe she wants nothing to do with him," I pointed out, hating to be the voice of reason here. "She never told him. In fact, you don't know that she never told him. He might be completely aware of her and not want anything to do with her."
