Page 74 of Another June with You

“Why didn’t you call her from Denver then? If you really care about her, why blow her off?”

His shoulders drooped. “Once I walked out of that apartment, I felt so guilty. I wasn’t going to do that again until I got married, but I was always so attracted to her.” He glanced toward the door again and kept his voice low. “She’s such a cute, feisty little thing, and the second I kissed her, I knew I was lost. I was so strong for so long, but I lost the battle. And I was ashamed. I felt like I took advantage of her. She wasn’t mine to have, but I had her anyway. And I didn’t know how to tell her that without hurting her. What girl wants to hear afterwards that the guy feels anything but happy and content and … and in love, and I couldn’t tell her those things.”

“And walking away without any explanation was the answer?”

He ran his hands over his face and pushed his hair back off his forehead. “I don’t know.”

“I’ve spent ten years second-guessing my decision to break up with Micah, wondering how different life would be now if I’d told him the truth from the start. Don’t make the same mistake I made. Tell her the truth, Duncan. She deserves to hear it.”

“I can’t look into those big brown eyes of hers and tell her that. I can’t be near her and not want her still.”

“Duncan.” For as close as she was to her brother, this was not what she’d expected him to say. “You can’t marry Dréa if this is the way you feel.” He was obviously struggling, and she was hopeful that Duncan might actually want to be with Jamie.

“We can’t base a relationship on physical attraction. And that’s what it would be. I like Jamie. I always have. But when it comes right down to it, we don’t know that much about each other. It’s always been a pretty surface relationship. We goof around and flirt. We don’t have deep conversations. I don’t know anything about her family. I don’t know how she became a photographer. Heck, I don’t even know her middle name, and I knew all those kinds of things about Dréa after the first date.”

“So get to know her.” Shannon knew what a wonderful person Jamie was, and she could see the possibility of something more serious between her and Duncan.

“My desire for her isn’t a good enough foundation for a relationship. We may be sexually compatible—”

Shannon held up her hand. “Too much information.”

“But we have nothing else in common,” he continued. “We don’t share the same beliefs. It would never work.”

If only he knew the whole story. If only he knew Jamie might be connected to him and their family for the rest of their lives because he couldn’t control his desire for her.

“It was a mistake.” He said the words she hoped he wouldn’t say, because she knew if Jamie had been there to hear him say it, she would’ve been even more devastated than she already was. And hearing that might be enough to push her toward getting rid of the baby.

“Please, go talk to her. She deserves that much.”

Just as Duncan let out a groan, there was a knock on the door. He looked all too happy to escape the conversation with Shannon to answer it.

Shannon grabbed one of the cookies from the tin and stared at it. It’d been a while since she’d had a chocolate chip cookie. What did it matter now anyway? The cookie touched her lip as Micah stepped into the kitchen with a small bouquet of wildflowers in his hand.

“I hope these are still your favorite.” Micah approached and handed over the bouquet.

Shannon dropped the cookie onto the counter and took the flowers. Her heart warmed at his thoughtfulness. And then she gave her brother a piercing stare she hoped spoke a thousand words.

Duncan replied with a weak grin and left them alone.

“I was hoping we could talk. I don’t want to make this harder for you, but I think there’s more to say.” He nodded toward the back door. “If I’m interrupting …”

She shook her head as she grabbed the cookie and took a gigantic bite. “Take me away from here.”

The two of them walked to Micah’s car, and she couldn’t help but remember Wednesday morning when he came to pick her up on the side of the highway. It felt like so much had changed in the span of four days.

“Where to?” he asked.

“Let’s go to Aunt Pauline’s.”

“Is everything okay?” he asked as he drove toward the lake house.

Shannon blew out an exasperated breath. “Not really.”

“I thought I picked up on something between you and Duncan.”

She shook her head. “You have no idea.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

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