Page 46 of The Secrets We Treasure

“What about Aimee? Did you love her?” Yikes! It was tacky of Treasure to ask that. Still, she wanted to know.

“I did.” He compressed his lips together. A second later, he released her waist and reached for her hand. “Let’s walk,” he suggested.

As they started up the shoreline, Treasure was tempted to press him with more questions, but she sensed that she needed to let Greer tell it to her as he saw fit.

“I did love Aimee,” he began.

The sorrow in his voice pricked at her heart.

“The problem was that I could never convince Aimee of my love.”

She looked sideways at him. The sharp angle of his strong jaw was illuminated by the light of the moon. The wind ruffled his unruly curls. Out here, surrounded by the forces of nature, she could almost believe that this was a dream and that her mind was conjuring up her heart’s greatest desire. “What do you mean?”

“Aimee always felt like she was battling a ghost—that there was a part of me she could never reach.” His expression grew somber. “She believed I was still in love with you.”

Treasure sucked in a startled breath. “I—I’m so sorry.”

“I never meant for Aimee to feel that way. After you left, I did my best to pick up the pieces and move forward. You got married and had a son. Then you went on the bachelor shows.” He grimaced. “I knew I couldn’t sit around pining away for you for the rest of my life.” He paused. When he continued, there was a slight quiver in his voice. “The morning Aimee went hiking, we had a big argument. This time, it was about my work at NASA. I was the lead engineer on a special project. I’d been working long hours for weeks on end. Aimee wanted me to ask off for her dad’s birthday. She wanted us to spend a week here on Honeysuckle Island, but I didn’t feel like I could break away from the project.” His voice broke. “My last words to Aimee were spoken out of anger.”

They stopped walking as Treasure turned to him, cupping his face with her hands. “You can’t blame yourself for Aimee’s death. It was an accident.” Anguish carved deep shadows over his face. “I’m sorry,” she said again, “for all the pain I’ve caused you.”

“I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty. I just want you to understand what happened … in case you hear rumors about Aimee’s death.”

She lowered her hands and answered solemnly. “I already have.”

He swore under his breath as he balled his fist and brought it to his mouth. “Aimee’s parents were crushed by her death. They knew about the problems Aimee and I were having. Grief does strange things to people. The Hamlins believe that Aimee’s death wasn’t an accident and are looking for someone to blame.” A grim smile wrapped his lips. “I’m an easy target.”

She furrowed her brows. “So you think Aimee’s parents are spreading the rumors?”

“I do.” Regret simmered in his eyes. “I wish things had been different between Aimee and me.” His words got choked and he coughed to clear his throat. “If only I had been able to love her enough or give her the emotional support she needed.” His words dribbled off.

Treasure searched his face. “If you need more time to sort through this, I’ll understand.”

“No,” he shot back with a vengeance. “I’m tired of living a life of regret.” He gave her a meaningful look. “Treasure, I want you—need you in my life.”

The yearning in his voice called to her. “I need you too.” She’d done her best to move forward without Greer, but she’d never felt completely whole. Not even when she was with Ben.

“When I watched the interview with Alyssa McKenzie and saw you get engaged, I about went out of my mind.” He grunted a laugh. “I told myself that I would respect your wishes. Over and over, I kept reminding myself that above all, I want you to be happy.” He paused. “That’s true. I do want you to be happy.” A tiny smile tugged at his lips. “But I would prefer that you be happy with me. When you told me the proposal was a farce, I knew I couldn’t hem-haw around any longer. Texting back and forth wasn’t gonna suffice.” He pierced her with a look so intense that she got the feeling he could see straight into the center of her soul. “I needed to make my intentions clear. That’s why I planned to visit you in Philly next week. I wanted to get to know Tray. I wanted you to see that we can build a life together.”

Tears pooled in her eyes. She let them run freely down her cheeks. “Tray will adore you … just as you will come to adore him.” She chuckled softly. “You’re already a part of his life.”

Confusion creased his brow. “I don’t understand.”

A sheepish smile broke over her lips. “You see, there’s this bedtime story—his favorite, actually—about Greer, T, and Tray. Greer builds this flying machine that takes them to—”

“The castle above the clouds,” he cut in with a pleased grin. “You know,” he mused as he tipped his head, “it’s certainly been a long time coming, but I feel like we’ve finally made it back to our castle, and our feet haven’t even left the ground.”

“Yes,” she murmured. “Our very own room in the castle with soft sand as the floor and the moon and stars as the ceiling.” Her heart melted. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She blinked several times, realizing the significance of what was happening. “Wait a minute. We just proclaimed our love … out in the open.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “You said it first.”

“I did.”

A wry grin twitched his lips. “Too late to back out now.”

She laughed. “I have no intention of backing out, but you have to admit that this is happening lightning speed fast. Most people who get back together go on several dates … you know, ease into the relationship.”

“I’m not most people.”

“No, you’re not,” she said, her eyes caressing him. “You’re Greer Nash.”

“Come here, T.” He gathered her into his arms and pulled her close. “Nothing will ever separate us again,” he whispered into her hair.

Her heart twisted. Would he still feel the same way after he learned the truth? How on earth was she supposed to tell him?

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