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Sarah’s voice echoed in my mind.

I told you; family can be two people and a dog and a fucking goldfish!

I laughed then, more stupid tears spilling from my stupid eyes. She’d been telling me exactly what she needed; trying to get it through my thick head. “Nothing,” I said. “I’ll give her the whole fucking world if she asks.”

Both of them screwed up their faces, but I just grinned.

“Chelsea, can you watch Tom for a few more days?”

She nodded, looking confused.

“Do you think the pet store is still open?” I asked.

“Should be,” Chelsea said. “But you already got Tom more than enough food.”

“It’s not for Tom.”

Seamus frowned. “Dad. What are you doing?”

I opened the door. “I’m driving back to New Hampshire. By way of the pet store.”

“What?”

I gave my son a bear hug, then his fiancée, too. “I’ve got a girl to see.”

I zipped my coat back up, chuckling at myself as I jogged back down the path to my truck. I was always going to go back for her. Always.

CHAPTER18

Sarah

Igripped my empty mug in my hand, tears running down my face.

“Thanks for the time, folks,” Jamie’s tinny voice said onscreen. The conference’s webcast wasn’t the best quality, but I hadn’t missed a single word. Especially not after my third time watching his talk.

“It’s been my honor.”

I sucked in a shaking breath. That part. That was my favorite. He was saying goodbye to them. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought it was the last talk he’d give for Reilly Contracting.

And I might have thought he’d been talking directly to me.

Except Jamie wasn’t here. He’d left.

I sighed, getting up and tossing another log onto the fire he’d started.

Then I checked the time and picked up the phone. It was time. I’d emailed Natasha shortly after Jamie left, knowing she was on an airplane. I told her I’d like to talk, to explain what had happened, when she had a moment and was back on the ground.

To my surprise, she’d said she’d be available later that morning—evening, my time—and gave me the number to the hotel she was staying at.

Since then, I’d had a long bath, a nap, an extended video chat with Winona—thankfully, by some miracle, the internet at the B&B hadn’t been affected by the storm—and finally, out of excuses, I’d worked up the nerve to watch Jamie’s speech.

Finally, it was time to talk.

My nerves jangled when she picked up. “Hello, Sarah.”

She didn’t sound angry or terribly cold.

Just wary.

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