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He makes my chest cave, the way he looks at me. It’s like he’s seeing the universe for the first time, with all its trillions of stars and mysterious planets.

“Choose me,” he says, his voice filled with deep emotion.

The muscle that keeps my body alive bursts into tears. “‘Do you know how long we’ve wanted to hear those words?’” it says to his own heart.

“Don’t you see, Danny?” I shake my head, my eyes going to his lips. “I never had a choice.” I look back at his eyes. “It’s always been you,” I whisper.

Lips have never crashed so hard. Want has never been so fierce. Lust gets jealous and love runs.

His hands claim me, like they should for all these years. His soul reaches for mine, breaking through flesh to succeed in its mission.

I’m lifted onto the table behind the couch, happily spreading my legs so he can slide between…

A car door shuts, snapping me back into reality, and I see the truth of our life. I’m marrying Samuel, and Danny’s driving by, and I have this sick feeling that I won’t be seeing him for a while. But I had that same feeling earlier when he told me goodbye.

Oh, well. What’s done is done.

I take in a deep breath, leave the sofa, and walk back inside, happy and devastated at the same time.

Chapter Twenty-One

Bones

One month three days missing

It pains me for her to say I hurt her the most. But I’m not blind to that. I know I’ve hurt her. We’ve hurt each other. It seems to be a habit now. A bad one.

“That was never my intention,” I say to her. My voice is low.

“Still,” she says.

“Yeah.” I nod.

“You know he asked me that night,” she says. “The night you told me.”

“I didn’t.”

She runs her finger over her wedding ring. “It was very romantic. He had candles—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” I interrupt her.

“I get that, but you know what stands out the most about that night?”

“What?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You stood outside in the dark and watched me.”

I don’t say anything. I remember her sitting out on the porch. It was cold. I just needed to be near her.

“Why did you come by?”

“I don’t know,” I lie.

“I was glad,” she says.