Page 58 of Ardently Yours

She scowls. “He was supposed to go to law school. He made that sacrifice without asking me if I even wanted him to. I’d have told him to stay in school.”

“When Steve took the psych profile as part of the interview process, he presented with a strong protective instinct, and avery clear sense of right and wrong, which I agreed with. He also exhibited a certain . . . flexibility. When the letter of the law conflicted with his morality, he chose not to be a rule follower.” I smile ruefully. “He would have found a career in law frustrating.”

Her gaze pierces straight through me. “And you don’t?”

“Sometimes,” I say.

“He shouldn’t have made the decision without talking to me. If he changed his mind about law school, that’s one thing, but we were supposed to talk about these things as partners.”

“Didn’t you do the same thing to him?” I ask gently.

She glares at me.

“You didn’t ask his opinion before you abandoned your degree to work in a grocery store. You decided you’d go straight to work after the baby was born, so he could stay in school. You made a choice about what you thought was best. So did he.”

She lifts her chin and narrows her eyes. “I was about to become a mother.”

“He was a father.” I step backward to give her the space she’s clearly craving. “I’m not saying he did the right thing by not talking to you about it, but he was trying to do his best for you and Bronnie. You were ready and willing to sacrifice on his behalf, even when he didn’t want you to. The day I met you, you were putting yourself through hell for a man who didn’t even know you were there. If he had, Steve would’ve been the first person to tell you to stay away from Polford and that church.”

“You make it sound like Steve and I were in a competition to win the prize for Biggest Martyr,” she snaps.

I take a deep breath. “I admire you. So much that I don’t have words to explain it. But you have to admit you’re hell-bent on putting yourself last.”

Her eyes glint with fury. “That’s ridiculous.”

“When have you ever willingly let someone else put you first?”

She huffs. “Steve’s parents disowned him in high school because he wouldn’t stay away from me. I asked my brother to let him move in his senior year. The only reason he could afford college was because his grandfather paid for it. Rochelle”—she shakes her head—“she was there for me when the easiest thing in the world, the smartest, would have been to run in the other direction.”

“Steve gave up his family because he knew what they were doing was wrong,” I say.

“He missed them. All I had to do was break up with him. But I was selfish, Arden. Just like I was with Rochelle when I didn’t tell her to run instead of defend me. So don’t tell me I haven’t allowed other people to make sacrifices for me, because you are dead wrong.”

“They made choices as teenagers to remain loyal to you because it was the right thing to do. It shows their character. I guarantee they didn’t regret their decisions. Why do you?”

“I don’t regret them. Iowethem.”

I lift my hand, then close it and drop it to my side. “That’s not how it works. Love doesn’t keep score.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s over.”

”Then move past the things that are holding you back, because they’re just as over. If you move to New York, I’ll be here to help you with Bronnie. I could get you a job at the best architecture firm in this city. If you asked me to do it—if I thought you’d accept it—I’d buy you your own firm when you graduate. You stay in a place that you’ve told me doesn’t feel like home. Why?”

A sob rips from her throat. “You don’t understand.”

“No.” I lift my hands to her face. “I don’t. Explain it to me.”

She shakes her head.

I press my forehead to hers. “Why did you come here?”

She grabs my wrist and gives it a small shake. “You needed me. I couldn’t ignore that.”

The words are a knife to the heart. “So this time you’re sacrificing yourself for me because you thought I needed someone to hold my hand.” I laugh, but not a thing about this is funny.

“It’s not a sacrifice. It’s my excuse. It’s safe for the weekend. The masquerade works because I’ll cover my face. It’s about making compromises,” she says.

“Because of the press? Or because you’re worried about danger? I can’t deny you’re safer under the radar in a small town, but I can protect you and Bronnie in New York. A security detail isn’t fun, but you’d adjust.”

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