A stunned hush enveloped the man on the bench beside her, as if the world had momentarily frozen around him. Jason’s gaze ventured up and met Charlie Grace’s, searching for any sign of hesitation or doubt. “You said yes,” he whispered.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
His voice, though laced with anguish, remained remarkably composed. “But…all these years,” he began, his words wavering with a mix of confusion and heartbreak. “I thought…I believed that we were building something real, something lasting.” His eyes welled up, mirroring the pain in Charlie Grace’s eyes. “I love you. I thought you felt the same way.”
His voice quivered, aching with unspoken questions. “What changed? Was it me? Was it something I did or didn’t do?” A fragile vulnerability emerged, his heart laid bare before her, longing for answers that might mend the pieces of his shattered heart.
At that moment, Charlie Grace hated herself. Jason did not deserve this.
She reached out, her hand shaking as she touched his. Her voice, filled with regret and raw honesty, answered his silent questions. “It’s not you,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. “You’ve been only good to me and to Jewel. You’re a genuinely sweet man, and I was most certainly drawn to that right from the start.” She swallowed. “I can’t control the way my heart feels. The love I’ve been searching for…it’s not there when I’m with you.”
There, she’d addressed the central issue head-on. Something of this magnitude could hardly be softened. What could she possibly say that would make the final message any easier? Still, the look on his face nearly crushed her.
“I still don’t understand. Why did you take the ring if you had no intention of marrying me?”
“I—well, I got caught up in the moment. I mean, you surprised me. I was off guard and…well, Jason. I’m so very sorry. Never did I mean to hurt you in any way.” She dared to look him in the face. “No matter how much I want this story to play out the way you’d hoped, I don’t love you.”
He ran his hand through the top of his hair. The motion left a strand sticking up. “I…we’ve dated for a long time. I thought?—”
“I don’t want to hold you back from finding the kind of love that consumes your soul, the love that lights up your eyes. You deserve that and so much more.”
Jason’s face became a canvas of sorrow. He drew a shuddering breath, his fingers gripping hers tightly. “Maybe, given time, you’ll change your mind?”
Charlie Grace shook her head. “No.”
She took that moment to return the ring and tucked it inside his palm with a kiss to his cheek.
He leaned against the back of the park bench in defeat. “I won’t pretend this doesn’t hurt, that it won’t take time to heal,” he admitted, his voice quivering. “But if you’re sure, truly sure this is what you want, then I won’t stand in your way.”
A bittersweet silence fell over them as they sat, their intertwined hands a testament to the friendship they’d shared for so long. In that moment, they both understood that even though their paths had diverged, friendship would continue and remain imprinted on both their hearts.
27
Charlie Grace pulled the ranch pickup into the yard and cut the engine. She sat quietly for several seconds, noting that the lights were off in the main house, an indication that Aunt Mo had gotten her daughter home and safely in bed. Her father too.
No doubt Charlie Grace would have a lot to explain at breakfast.
Her eyes went to Nick’s cabin as it came into view, her spirits lifting slightly when she saw it lit up.
Slipping out of the truck, Charlie Grace closed the door softly, her footsteps barely audible on the gravel path as she made her way toward the cabin. Drawing closer, she caught sight of Nick standing on the porch, waiting for her.
“Hey…” he said, as she neared.
The events of the entire evening flickered across Charlie Grace’s mind, resembling a bad movie she wished she hadn’t played a starring role in.
“I’m glad to see you,” she said as she climbed a couple of wooden steps up to the porch. “Thanks for waiting up.”
“I hate to admit it,” Nick began, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “But that was some top-notch drama. I mean, don’t get me wrong. When he slipped that ring on your finger, my heart plummeted to the floor. But, wow…” He ran his hands through his hair and shook his head.
Charlie Grace buried her face in her hands. “I’m mortified. I have no idea why I didn’t refuse that ring. Marrying Jason was never my intention.”
Nick gently reached out, intertwining his fingers with hers. “You got swept up in the story,” he offered.
She nodded miserably. “I suppose. But, goodness…that was a train wreck. I’m so ashamed I let it happen.”
“Ah, don’t be. Life gets messy.”
He guided her to a seat beside him. “Do you want to talk about it?”
