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Agatha jerked her chin over her shoulder. “Would you like to come in for some lunch? I made grilled cheese.”
“Well, if it’s grilled cheese, then how can I refuse?” He moved forward, and she stepped back to give him entrance. The cabin looked exactly as he’d left it but with one small difference. The kitchen table had been set with two plates, two cups, silverware, and a vase of flowers. He glanced at her and chuckled. “What if I hadn’t shown up?”
She shrugged. “I guess we’ll never know, will we?”
Being with her in his cabin like this brought back so many memories of their shared breakfasts together. It was funny how he suddenly couldn’t even recall the reasons he’d broken things off with her—something to do with them not being compatible.
Agatha hurried over to the stove area and retrieved a platter with two sandwiches and two small bowls of soup. She returned to place them at their seats and her eyes met his. “I hope you like tomato. It’s the only thing I eat with grilled cheese.”
“Sounds great.” Zeke pulled out her chair and motioned for her to take a seat.
Once they faced each other, he picked up his sandwich and took a bite. A moan of contentment slipped through his lips, and he nodded toward her. “This has got to be the best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever had.”
She laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. This was merely a way to get you inside so we could talk.”
“Uh-oh. I don’t know if I like the sound of that.”
In all seriousness, she said, “Perhaps you won’t.”
He put down his sandwich and wiped his mouth. “Well then, I suppose we should get started.”
She dipped her gaze down to his sandwich and then back to his face. “Well, I want you to enjoy your meal. No sense in it getting cold.”
“Agatha, I assume you wanted me to come out here so we could have a frank discussion. I also assume that you have likely gone over what it is you want to say several times until you’ve got it right. Would I be correct in these assumptions?” He’d learned a lot over the past weeks about himself and the woman he had come to have feelings for—mostly as he tried to dissect what he could have done differently. And the biggest thing he’d found out was that he jumped in too fast without allowing her to say her piece. Agatha was the kind of woman who needed to feel heard. This was his way of giving her what she needed. And when she was all done, he’d take advantage of this situation and tell her exactly what he thought of her—how much he missed her and that letting her go was the biggest mistake of his life.
Agatha cleared her throat and nodded. “You’re right. I wanted you here for a reason. I’ve had an epiphany of sorts.” She let out a soft laugh and looked away. “This is going to be a little embarrassing, but I’ve realized that I’ve been prioritizing everything wrong.”
He didn’t know what to say. What could she possibly be referring to?
She chuckled nervously again. “When Thomas was born, he was my whole world. He became my identity. And as he continued to grow up, I kept that relationship exactly the way it was without allowing him to advance and move on. I had to be independent so I could take care of both of us. It was a mechanism for me to keep us safe. I couldn’t depend on anyone else for both of our sakes.”
“That’s understandable,” Zeke said. “You had to protect your family.”
“Yes, but when I moved out here, things didn’t change. I was still trying to fulfill that role, and in doing so, I wasn’t letting you in. I wasn’t allowing you to take care of me.”
He straightened, finally comprehending where she was going with all of this.
“Letting go has got to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my entire life.” This time she let her gaze lock onto his, sending a shiver coursing through his body. “You might think it’s for the best that we part ways, but you couldn’t be more wrong. This isn’t about you. And it’s not about me. It’s about both of us, and as such, we both get a say in what happens.”
She couldn’t be saying what he thought she was saying, could she? His heart flickered to life as if it hadn’t been awake since the last time he’d held her in his arms. This was more than he could have ever hoped to happen. “Agatha, I want—”
“No, let me finish. If you think that breaking up is the smart thing to do without even a thought to how we could work this out, then I need to ask you to take another hard look at what you want. You either want me or you don’t.” She took a deep breath and blew it out hard before she continued speaking. “I have already thought about this from every angle. I can see every outcome from this meeting, and if I had my way, I’d say there isn’t a second option. We’re going to approach this like we have nothing to lose. This relationship isn’t about my son or your daughters. It isn’t about your irritating need to be some kind of knight in shining armor, nor is it about my debilitating need to make sure I’m independent and taking care of things the way I think is best. This is about us. This is about how you make me happy, and I don’t care what it takes. I’m going to fight for it.”
Zeke peered at her, loving how she squirmed and fidgeted after giving her speech. Apparently, he hadn’t lost his touch after all. He’d managed to make her nervous just like everyone else in town. “Are you finished?” he finally said.
She nodded.
“Well, I must say that all of this is fairly unexpected. I mean, first, you ambush me at my cabin. Then expect me to sit at my table eating food I’m assuming came from my refrigerator.”
“Actually, it—”
“Agatha,” he said softly. “I don’t care how it happened. I’m just glad it did.” He reached across the table and grasped her hand in his. “I understand what makes you tick. I get that people have failed you in the past. But that’s not going to be me. I’m done making excuses. I’m tired of being in a position where I feel like I have to control every outcome. But if you’re on my side, I know I can take whatever life throws at me—at us,” he corrected.
She squeezed his hand. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel… whole when I’m with you.”
“Even when I boss you around?”
Agatha laughed. “Well, I think we’re going to have to work on that.”
