They wouldn’t survive another attempt at long distance, not when they’d barely made it through the first year of her being at college.
Real life was harder and more complex, and she couldn’t see herself flying to Rockport every weekend, not with her demanding schedule.
And Jack had a whole life here: a son who lived in town and a business that needed his attention.
She couldn’t ask him to drop it all and leave.
Could she?
She thought of Andrew then, as she usually did, and she wondered what he’d make of all of this.
Would he be happy she was even considering moving on with Jack?
Marley waved a hand in front of Emma’s face. “There’s nothing to get so worked up over, babe. Everything is going to be fine.”
Emma’s lips lifted into the ghost of a smile. “Ever the optimist, huh?”
“I think you’ve been through too much for it to not work out. Whether you decide to stay here in Rockport or go back to yourlife in the city, whether Kyle proposes or not…it’ll all sort itself out. You’ll see.”
Emma threw her half-empty cup into the nearest bin and glanced up at the sky. “We should head back. My parents have probably talked Jack’s ear off by now.”
“I don’t think he minds,” Marley teased before looping her arm through Emma’s. “You should make some time to talk to him.”
“Has he said anything to you?”
Marley shook her head. “Not in so many words, but I can see it in his eyes. And after you told me what happened at the Christmas dance, I—”
“I don’t know if it can ever happen again. Not until I’ve figured out what my future looks like,” Emma interrupted with a quick look over her shoulder at Jules, who was tucked into Kyle’s side, the two of them looking blissful and content. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair to him.”
Marley said nothing as the two of them crossed the street.
When they emerged through the cluster of trees, Marie was sitting on a foldable chair next to Henry, who was studying the skies intently. Jack was leaning against a nearby tree, a half-smile hovering on the edge of his lips. He pushed himself off and made a beeline for them, stopping when he reached Emma.
Marley murmured something under her breath and unwound her arm.
Jules and Kyle walked right past them, and everyone gathered in a half-circle around the tombstone. The eclipse had almost covered the sun in its entirety, leaving them minutes away from the big reveal. Emma tilted her head back to look up into Jack’s handsome face, and her mind went blank.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Emma’s lips lifted into a half-smile. “They’re worth a lot more than that.”
Jack chuckled. “How about a dollar then?”
“They’re not worth that much.”
Jack’s smile vanished as he took a step closer. He towered over her, the smell of him overwhelming her senses.
It reminded her of nights curled up by the fire and lazy summer days at the park, with her head in his lap and his fingers in her hair.
Emma didn’t know if she could ever go back to that.
Staying didn’t mean turning back the clock or rewriting their history.
But leaving…
She wasn’t surprised to realize she couldn’t bear the thought of going back to her spacious apartment with its too-large windows, airy feel, and the faint ringing of traffic far below. The thought of crawling into her king-sized bed after a long day didn’t hold the same appeal it used to, nor did the thought of putting on her finest suit on a Monday morning and striding through the glass doors of the sleek office building, expensive Manolo pumps clicking against the hardwood floors.
Why didn’t it excite her like it used to?
