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“Because, Luke, I’m not…” She desperately tried to formulate her thoughts into words. When she’d left Maine behind again, she’d known she likely wouldn’t return to her life there again. An entirely new world had opened up to her in New Orleans, and she’d built real connections. They had been life-changing. “I’m not the same person I was when I left. I’ve changed. I’ve grown.”
“So, have I. That’s what you wanted isn’t it?”
She lowered her gaze to her lap. “No, Luke. I never wanted you to change. But that doesn’t mean we fit together. There’s a reason we never got married, a reason we never committed to each other.”
He heaved a sigh. “And that’s it? That’s the final word?”
She glanced up at him, tilting her head. “Come on, Luke. Answer honestly. Are you happy? Are you happy with your new life?”
He chewed his lower lip as he flicked his gaze into the night sky.
“Or are you dying to get back to Harbor Cove? To do what you do best? Running your tour boat and your restaurant?”
His shoulders slumped, and she shifted to catch his eye. “I loved my life in Harbor Cove. I…”
“Then you should go back to it. You shouldn’t have to change. Don’t you see that that’s the reason we don’t fit?”
Luke heaved a sigh as he took a few steps closer to her, his hand reaching to caress her cheek. “I don’t see why we can’t have both. We’ve both changed. But we’re still the same people who fell in love years ago.”
“I can’t, Luke. I’m sorry.” She grabbed his hand in hers. “A part of me will always love you, but we don’t fit.”
He heaved a sigh as he bobbed his head. “A part of me will always love you, too. I…I hope you find your happy.”
She smiled up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. “You too.”
He leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “Take care, Julia.”
“Goodbye, Luke.”
His hand lingered on hers for another moment before he finally let her go, disappearing into the crowd surrounding them. She licked her lips as she blew out a long sigh, blinking away the tears she didn’t want to explain to Kyle.
She fussed with Grant’s jacket around her shoulders as she breathed a shaky breath.
“Hey, you okay?” Kyle asked as he returned and checked her heart rate again.
“Yeah, I’m good.” She plastered on a smile as they prepared her for transport to the hospital.
The flurry of activity that descended upon her as she arrived allowed her mind to focus on something else. Before she knew it, she was rolled into a room to be monitored for the night.
With the events earlier in the night, she found herself nodding off quickly. By the following morning, her heart rate had returned to normal, and she was released in the early afternoon.
When she stepped inside Harrington House this time, though, everything felt different. The contract tying her and Grant together ended today. It had been a long two years, but they’d done it.
“How about a drink?” Grant asked as she froze in the foyer.
“Uh, sure,” she said as he guided her to his study.
Her steps seemed slow and plodding. She assumed they’d take care of whatever business they had to. She prepared herself for what was about to happen as he poured her a brandy and a bourbon for himself.
“To us,” he said as he handed it off to her.
She smiled at him without a word before she took a sip. “We did it.”
“Yes, we did. Lydia is in jail. The board is no longer looking to oust me. Sierra is happy. We did it.”
Silence stretched between them for longer than she preferred. “Just in time, too,” she said.
“Oh, right, yes. The contract. Uh, about that…”
