Page 111 of I Don't Need Your Romance

“Maybe.”

She lifts her shoulders. “Well, I guess you’ll never know what I truly think because you can’t read minds.” She hums happily as she skips past me into the unmarked path.

“You don’t even know where to go,” I say as I hurry after her. I take her hand. “Don’t let go, okay? This is not part of the trail and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

She tightens her hold on my hand. “Okay.”

I’ve wondered the past few days what it would feel like to hold her hand. I don’t just mean for a second or for comfort, butactuallyholding hands. Like we’re doing right now. It feels so good to hold her hand like this, like our hands were meant to fit together perfectly like this. I don’t want to ever let go.

“Are we there yet?” she asks. “I’m so curious.”

“Just about.”

We take a few more steps and then finally reach the clearing. It’s an area in the woods that many people don’t know about. It’s a large grassy area with beautiful trees and flowers, with the sun setting at just the right angle to make the place look gorgeous.

“Wow, this is beautiful,” Sophie breathes. “How do you know about this place?”

“My dad used to take my mom and me here a lot,” I say as I lower myself near a tree. “It was my mom and dad’s special place.”

“Their special place?” Sophie drops down next to me. “It sounds like they were once in love.”

“They were.” I keep my eyes on the space before me. “They were very much in love.”

“Can I ask what happened?”

I sigh as I shake my head. “I don’t know exactly. I think her parents got involved. They never accepted him because he wasn’t from a rich family. And I guess my mom decided she loved the school and the Harrington Empire more than my dad and me.”

“I’m sorry. That sucks. You moved in with your dad?”

“Yeah. I lived here until I was ten.” I survey the area. “My dad would talk about this place all the time, how he wished he could visit again. It got me upset sometimes because I couldn’t stand how much he still loved her after she…” I shake my head as myvoice quakes. “But I regret it so much now. I wish we could have visited here one last time before he died.”

She slides her hand into mine. “Everyone has regrets in their life. And that’s okay. You’re only human. You shouldn’t tear yourself up over it. I’m sure your dad visits this place as often as he wants. I’m sure he’s here with us now.”

“You think so?” I scan around the area. “I don’t feel him.”

“Sometimes I swear I feel Gina and Adam with me while other times…crickets. But I like to believe they’re here with us.”

I nod with my throat tight as I continue looking around the area, trying to feel my dad.

“Thanks for bringing me here, Damian,” she says as she scoots closer to me. “Thanks for opening your heart to me. I feel…well, I feel so much closer to you now.”

“You do?” I ask softly as I move closer and rest my hand on her cheek. It’s pretty cold out, but her cheek is so warm and smooth.

“I do,” she says.

“You’ve made me learn things about myself,” I admit. “You’ve made me learn to let go of the things that were holding me back. I’ve decided to submit an application to the art contest.”

Her face lights up. “You have? Damian, that’s awesome!” She throws her arms around me.

“Thanks.”

She pulls back and grins so wide that my heart soars. “I’m so happy. You’ll win for sure.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Do you doubt your tutor?”

“No.”