Page 53 of Coming Home Country
“She’s accepted his offer, Rose.” I groaned, the reality of that statement twisting my insides. “I have to respect that she’s moved on with another man.”
“Respect it all you want, young man, but the reality is that she’s been questioning her feelings since before Aaron graced us with his presence.”
My hand came to rest on my chest over my aching heart. With my throat gone tight, I rasped, “It doesn’t matter.”
Rose hummed, her eyes scanning me critically.
Couldn’t she see that it was killing me to let Bex go? To know that my undying love would never be enough to win her back? That I was destined to spend the rest of my life alone because no one else could ever take her place in my heart?
“Does it matter that he left this morning?”
I jolted in my seat. She sure as hell had my attention now.
“And that she’s mysteriously missing an engagement ring I hadn’t seen nor heard mention of before yesterday?”
Hope squeezed my chest in a vise grip, causing my words to come out strangled. “She is?”
That ring had been the barrier keeping me from kissing her last night for the first time in ten long years. So long as Bex was wearing it, I wouldn’tcross that line. But if what Rose was saying was true . . . Well, that certainly changed things.
A smile born from pure satisfaction tipped up on Rose’s lips. “From what I heard, the two of you were lookin’ awful cozy last night.”
Aha! I knew word had gotten back to her about our dance—and likely, the almost kiss—at the bar. You could set your watch by the Rust Canyon rumor mill.
“I can’t imagine my daughter would have found her way into your arms if you hadn’t found a way to reconcile the past.”
Nodding, I replied, “We have. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to keep that between me and her.”
“Fair enough.” Rose stood, and I jumped to my feet, a reaction born from years of conditioning on how to act like a gentleman. She placed a hand on my arm, squeezing gently. “Make her happy. If you can do that, you won’t have any trouble from me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I ducked my head.
“I’m glad we understand each other.” Dropping her hold on me, she moved toward the door, and I quickened my steps to be the one to open it.
Even though excitement buzzed in my veins, one question still plagued my mind. “Why?”
Rose paused, turning to face me. “Excuse me?”
I blew out a heavy breath. “I’m probably a fool for looking a gift horse in the mouth, but I have to know. Why did you come here to tell me all this when I’m the one who broke your daughter’s heart, ultimately driving her away? The way I hurt her was inexcusable, yet here you are, trying to convince me to fight for her. Forgive me for having a hard time understanding, because it doesn’t make any sense.”
Her brown eyes grew glassy, and her voice came out thick with emotion when she said, “Because you’re her one great love.”
The weight of her words hit me square in the chest, threatening to knock me over. There was no denying Bex held that same designation in my heart. It’s why I could never move on, why I’d never stopped loving her, and why if I couldn’t have her, I didn’t want anyone else.
Rose must’ve seen the truth of her statement written across my face because she smiled. “I’m of the belief that you only get one. Having lost mine, I’ve never questioned Bex’s reaction to losing hers. It’s something you will grieve for the rest of your life, the pain rooted deep within your soul because it’s been ripped in half.”
My mouth dropped open. Her description was spot on for how it felt to lose Bex. Not only in the past, but again this week when I realized she would never be mine again.
“Do you have any idea how lucky you are?” With me stunned silent, she continued, “That your other half still walks this earth? That you have a chance to regain that piece of yourself you thought was lost? Not all of us are so fortunate.”
The first tear finally broke free, sliding down her face. Rose had been widowed for over twenty years, and it was clear to see that the loss of her husband still deeply affected her.
“If you’re smart, you’ll hold onto her with everything you’ve got and never let her go again.”
Shaken to the core, I could barely manage a nod. Satisfied that she’d driven her point home, Rose walked to her car. The sound of crunching gravel beneath her tires brought me back to my senses, and determination rose to the surface.
The last obstacle had been eliminated, and there was nothing else standing in my way.
It was time to reclaim the other half of my soul.
