Page 10 of Scarred Sunrise

“One day we met up, and he was agitated but wouldn’t tell me why. Over the next few weeks he withdrew. I knew it was coming, but it broke my heart when he dumped me.”

“Did he tell you why?”

“Not then but the following year when I was seventeen and started going to pubs with a few friends, I saw him out. He was with another girl, and I lost my mind, ripped into him and got thrown out of the pub.”

Lucy’s eyes went wide, her hand over her mouth in surprise as she tried to hide her giggle. “Lizzie!”

“He deserved it, and it worked. He followed me and told me he’d made a mistake and wanted me back. We got back together, and it was heaven. He was my first love and if I’m honest, my only love.”

Lucy cocked her head. “What about Marco?”

At the mention of her ex-husband, Lizzie sighed. “I didn’t love Marco, not as I should have. Not in the way you love Jace, or you love Daniel. I never once thought I’d stop breathing if he weren’t with me. I cared for him, I even fooled myself that I loved him, but deep down, I knew it was a lie. I even knew on my wedding day. I was seconds away from bolting when I saw Ty watching me across the street.”

“He was there?”

Liz nodded. “Yes. He watched me get out of the car at the church. We locked eyes, and I thought for just a second he’d beg me to stop. I would have. I loved him that much, but he turned and disappeared. Part of me thinks I married Marco to hurt him, but the only person I hurt was Mateo.”

“Hey, no. That kids adores you, and Marco may not have been the love of your life, but he has his share of the blame. Nobody asked him to screw around on you.”

Lizzie looked at Lucy, who was fierce and beautiful and like a lioness with those she loved. “Maybe not, but if I had loved him as I should, maybe we would’ve made it.”

“And maybe you wouldn’t have. Life is crazy and unpredictable. We have to do the best we can, and you’re one of the strongest, most amazing people I know.”

Meg hugged her tight, leaning her head on her shoulder. “I wouldn’t be here without you, so don’t put yourself down. There are plenty of people out there ready to do that for you, so we mustn’t do it to ourselves.”

Lucy grinned and snuggled into her other side. “Yeah, listen to her, she speaks the truth.”

They stayed quiet each lost in thought, enjoying the love between them. “Why did you and Smithy, sorry I can’t think of him as Ty, break up?” Lucy asked quietly.

Lizzie laughed. “I think I’m the only person who calls him Ty. He said it was a weird way to shorten Whittaker, but he liked it.”

Lucy laughed, and her belly jiggled against her, the baby growing inside her already loved by so many. “It is weird.”

Lizzie poked her sister in the arm in jest. “Hey, do you want to hear the end of this sorry tale or not?”

“Fine, I’ll stop.”

“At the end of the second summer, Ty told me he was signing up for the army, that it was the only way he could make anything of himself. I was so excited for him, told him I’d follow him as soon as I finished college. But he told me no. That he couldn’t give me what I needed or what he thought I deserved. We argued for ages, but he wouldn’t budge, said he loved me too much to ruin my life.”

“Wow, that’s so sad that he believed that. He’s such a great guy.”

Lizzie nodded sadly. “He is, but I have to walk away. I can’t keep doing this to myself, it isn’t fair to Mateo or me. If Smithy wants me, he’ll have to do the running this time because this girl is done.”