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“What happened, if I may ask?”
“I think you need to talk to your fiancé about that.”
* * *
When Lucy got to the room, Jamie was standing at the window, his back turned toward her. He seemed to stiffen when he heard her come in.
“How was your tour?” he asked.
“Interesting.”
He turned around. “I’ll bet. So she told you then. About Sierra?”
“She told me her niece was dead. She was going to tell me more, tell me why she obviously holds a grudge against you, but I told her I wanted to hear it from you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re my friend, Jamie, not her. I don’t like the way she treated you. I know you didn’t do anything to deserve that kind of treatment.”
He smiled bitterly. “In this particular case, sweet thing, you’re wrong.”
“Am I? So tell me. And then tell me why you didn’t tell me before bringing me here.”
Jamie sighed, then settled down on the bed. “Will you sit with me?”
Without answering, she walked to the bed and sat down, only to notice he was shaking.
What in the world?
Lucy had always thought she was strong, but at that moment, she realized that it was Jamie who was the strong one. He wasn’t showy or arrogant or a braggart because he didn’t have to be. In his quiet and kind way, he was strong enough to help her when she needed him, to be there for his family, to try to help the people of this town despite the fact they rejected him. In all the times she’d talked about not wanting to fit into “his world,” not once had he struck out at her for her prejudice; instead, he’d tried to gently point out those prejudices and encourage her to work past them.
She was so ashamed of how she’d walked away from everything he’d been offering her, and had continued to offer her, because she’d been afraid. He didn’t deserve that. He deserved to be with a woman who was as kind and strong as he was.
Maybe she wasn’t that person, but she could at least be a little brave.
She could at least tell him how much she cared for him.
No, how much she loved him.
Because in that moment, she knew without a doubt it was true.
She grabbed his hand.
“You know what Marie said to me when I told her I didn’t want her telling your story?”
“What?”
“That I obviously loved you very much.”
He stiffened but didn’t say anything.
“You know,” she whispered. “I do love you, Jamie. I think I loved you before I broke up with you. I think—I think that’s the reason I broke up with you.”
He looked stunned. “I can’t believe you’re saying this to me. Here and now. When I have to tell you something that just might change your mind.”
“I can’t guarantee that what you tell me won’t anger or disappoint me, but I don’t see how it could be so bad that it’ll stop me from loving you.”
“Let me ask you this. You say you love me. What does that mean for us? For this fake engagement?”
