Page 64 of The Runaway Bride's Vow

“Thanks.”

She studied him. “You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?”

A denial teetered on the tip of his tongue, but he knew it was a lie. And all of the denials and lies of omissions were what got them to this point. So, he settled for the truth. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

Margie hitched a hip and leaned against the counter. “Why did she leave?”

To his surprise, he opened up to her, and she seemed genuinely interested. They’d come a long way since their days of bickering. He gave Margie the brief rundown of what had happened to his almost-wedding. He even told her about the emails Brooke had been sending him—the words that left him confused about what he should do next. All the while he was thinking how strange it was he was opening up to his ex-wife.

“You should go after her,” Margie stated as a matter of fact.

“What?” Surely he hadn’t heard her correctly. “Why would I do that?”

“Because it’s not too late to fix things. Just don’t rush her this time around. I don’t know too many women that would want to be rushed like that.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know.”

She arched a brow. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but don’t mess this up. She’s good for you. And no matter what she’s done, you still love her.”

“I don’t think we can get past this.”

“It won’t be easy, but then again nothing worth having ever is. Just give it time and stop rushing things.”

“You really think that will make a difference?”

“It’s what she told you, isn’t it?” When he nodded, Margie said, “And one other thing, sell the house. You should have sold it when we split. No woman wants to live in the house where the ex-wife lived. Sell it and start fresh.”

That was a sticking point for him. “But I worked so hard on the place to renovate it from top to bottom. I love that house.”

“And you will love another house. With all the work you’ve done, it will bring you top dollar. Look at it from her point of view, you have a house full of memories—memories connected to our marriage. She wants a house that will be filled with yours and her memories.”

He took a moment to take it all in. “When did you become so smart?”

“I don’t know about that. I’m trying to get it right just like you. However, I’ve been dating Rick for a few months so maybe I’m onto something here.”

He took a sip of coffee, letting the hot liquid slide down over his dry throat. “You know I really like it when you and I can talk like friends.”

“Don’t get too used to it. I’m sure you’ll do something to annoy me in the near future.” She sent him a teasing smile.

He smiled and shook his head. It was nice to be friendly exes. He hoped it would last.

“Now call her. Tell her you want her back.”

As he drove home, he came to a decision. He still loved Brooke. He wasn’t ready to give up on them. He didn’t know what the future held for the two of them, but he loved her enough to find out.

The ride home was filled with one bombshell realization after the next, including that his ex was right about something. If he wanted a new start with Brooke, he was going to have to meet her halfway.

That night, certain in his actions, he reached for his phone. It was time to respond to Brooke’s messages. His finger hovered over the call button, but then he clicked on the messages. He started typing…

“Cock-a-doodle-doo.”

Brooke awoke with the rising of the sun. For the slightest moment, she felt like a teenager again. She had the whole world ahead of her. In a heartbeat it came back to her that her whole life had changed, and this was no longer her home. It was but it wasn’t. It was confusing.

She yawned and stretched. She reached for her phone. She pressed a button but nothing happened. She tried again but it was dead.

And then she realized after talking to her mother and sister late into the evening, she’d forgotten to put her phone on the charger. She would charge it while she grabbed her shower. Hopefully, by then she’d be able to check her messages.

She knew she needed to head back to California either today or tomorrow. It was a very long two- or three-day drive. It depended on how anxious she was to get there.

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