Page 49 of Second Chance Wedding
“Yeah, well, I’d never seen him like that before—or since. So, whatever this is between you now, I hope you’ve changed.”
The words felt like knives sliding into her skin with a million little painful cuts. “Calvin, I had no idea. I…handled things badly. Horribly. I should’ve done better, and I’ll carry that regret with me forever, but please know I didn’t end it because of not loving him. I ended it because…I did. But love wasn’t enough to fix what was wrong.”
They swayed for several beats in silence, and Ana fought off the overwhelming need to go find Cole and…what? Comfort him? Kiss him?
Like that would somehow make up for the pain she’d inflicted? Pain that had caused him to seek out danger to try to forget her? “Tell me what he did. The things he volunteered for.”
Jones shook his head. “He can tell you himself if he wants. Just use your imagination. You’ll probably come pretty close.”
The song ended, and one of the young Marines from Jones’s tables asked Ana to dance. She didn’t want to but also didn’t have the heart to say no since she’d noticed the young man and another sat at the second table without dates.
They made casual conversation, and Ana forced herself to smile and keep up her side of things, but all the while, she searched the ballroom for Cole. Where had he gone? Had he left the hotel?
As the song ended, a heavily decorated older gentleman went to the mic and asked everyone to be seated once more and welcomed the special guest speaker.
The soldier she’d danced with led her back to her table, but the seat beside hers remained empty until the guest speaker was well into his speech.
She glanced at Cole and noticed a flush to his cheeks. Beneath the cover of the table, she stretched out a hand to grasp his and found it cold to the touch. He’d gone outside. Stayed out for quite some time if his hand was any indication.
But when she remembered Jones’s words about Cole having a death wish after she’d broken up with him, she slowly withdrew her hand and curled it into a fist on her lap.
What was she doing right now? What weretheydoing? Benjamin had brought them together—crashed them together—but where would it lead? Wherecouldit now that she was aware of Cole’s reaction?
Quinley had pointed out that the problems standing in the way of them being a couple no longer existed, but now that she knew the extent of the pain she’d caused Cole…she couldn’t even consider a second chance now.
Ana glanced up and met Calvin’s gaze before quickly looking at the man on stage, still talking about the sacrifices made by the soldiers and their families.
She hadn’t been willing to make that sacrifice then. To support Cole the way military spouses needed and were required to do.
And that was another reason why she didn’t deserve to be with Cole now. She had to get out of there. Leave. Go home and soothe her bruised heart which had somehow gotten its hopes up that maybe tonight was the start of something more. A…rekindling.
It wasn’t.
The sooner she left, the better.
* * *
The following afternoon, Cole stared at the waves from the stool of a restaurant tiki bar. The sea breeze held more than a bit of northern chill, but the sun’s rays worked hard to combat it. When the breeze calmed, the sun grew hot on his back, and he couldn’t help but compare it to the evening with Ana.
She’d been hot and cold. Between his upset and anger over the way she’d lied to protect Ben and whatever had happened on the dance floor when he’d gone outside long enough to cool down, something had changed.
It was like a light had gone out in Ana, and whenever she looked at him she seemed…distant and even sad.
Despite their opposing opinions on Ben, Cole had thought they’d made progress. After he’d reined in his temper over the lie and reminded himself that he’d protected his younger brothers much the same way back in the day, he’d rejoined the table ready to put the past—all of it—behind him.
He hadn’t missed the look exchanged between her and Jonesie, though. Ana had reached out, touched his hand—but then withdrawn and retreated inside herself like she suddenly needed to reenforce the battlements. He wanted to knowwhy.
“Surprised to hear from you so soon,” Jonesie said as he took the stool beside Cole. “Caught me just in time. I was about to hit the road.”
“I want to know what happened between you and Ana last night.”
Jones tensed beside him and then ordered a drink from the twenty-something tending bar.
“What, I don’t even get a hello?”
Cole pinned his friend with a glare. “Hello, Calvin. Now what did you say? Ana could barely look at me the rest of the night, and as soon as the ball ended, she made some lame excuse and left the hotel like her dress was on fire.”
“How do you know it was something I said?”
