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It’s Tyler.
The world hates me.
This is my punishment for treating everyone in my life so badly.
He looks miserable. “I tried to give you space to figure everything out. I waited as long as I could, but I miss you.”
Zak peaks around the door, and everything about Tyler darkens. He glances between the two of us.
“Zak just showed up unannounced,” I explain.
“You’re the guy from the pier,” Zak says.
Tyler nods, reaching his hand out. “Tyler Dixon.”
“Zak Kershaw.”
Tyler looks directly at me. “Sorry to interrupt. I didn’t think you’d have company over.”
“We were just talking, and Zak was getting ready to leave.”
I don’t know if he was getting ready to leave or not but, I can’t have both men here together, and there’s nothing more to say between us.
“Okay.” Zak nods. He leans in for a hug. “It was good to see you. I’ve missed you.”
“It was good to see you too.” My eyes drop. I don’t know what this looks like to Tyler.
Zak releases the hug and steps past Tyler, leaving us alone. We stand there for a minute, watching him go down the stairs.
“Can I come in?” Tyler finally asks.
I open the door wider, letting him pass through.
“Are you and Zak getting back together?”
“He wants to.”
He turns to face me. “Meg, he strung you along for years, then broke your heart. You can’t possibly be thinking about letting him back in your life.”
“I thought about it.” I fold my arms, trying to keep myself from bursting at the seams with emotion. “My mother said Zak was the one.” A rush of moisture fills my eyes. “She wanted me to marry him. She had this whole idea of what my life would be like, and it was with Zak. It was her dying wish that I marry him.”
“Meg, I’m sure it wasn’t her dying wish.”
I hug myself tighter. “Her eyes were closed, but she opened them to slits so she could see me. Her words were whispers. ‘I want you to marry Zak and be happy.’ It was literally the last thing she said to me.”
“She probably said that because she thought that’s whatyouwanted. She didn’t mean for you to stick to her words even if he’s not right for you.”
I know that’s true. Deep down, I know I’m being ridiculous, holding onto her last words, but I feel like by letting go of Zak, I’m letting go of another piece of my mother, and I can’t afford to lose any more of her.
“Meg, I think if your mother were here, she’d tell you to get rid of Zak and be with me.”
I let out a soft laugh. “You’re a little too confident, don’t you think?”
“No. If she knew me, she’d love me.”
“That bothers me too.” My voice cracks as I speak. “How can I be with someone my mother never met, someone who didn’t know her? You don’t know how amazing she was, but Zak does.”
Tyler’s countenance softens, and he pulls me into a hug. “I’ll know how amazing she was, because I know you.”
