Page 92

I pull the note out, my fingers trembling slightly as I read it:

Lex,

Had to catch an emergency flight to NY to meet with my attorney regarding the estate. Sorry to miss dinner. I’ll be back late tonight.

Sam

I stare at the note, my chest squeezing into a hard knot. My mind instantly races down a familiar spiral. Meeting with his attorney? Is he looking into how to dissolve our marriage contract when our year is up?

Honestly, I’m surprised he even took the time to leave the flowers and the note. He’s been distant for months. I know he’s been carrying the weight of Gavin’s paternity, attending therapy, and the questions about the future of Sutter Creek like a suit of armor between us.

Is this little gesture his way of softening the blow? A gentle preamble to prepare me for the eventual end? He got what he needed. He proved his mother wrong, faced his past, and now he’s moving on?

This emotional whiplash is going to do me in. I’ve learned to be strong and protect myself after all of these years. I’m so in love with Sam, I want to believe everything that is finally happening between us is real. Yet, I shouldn’t act shocked if it all ends. Ultimately, this is a contract marriage. And having this conversation before it comes closer to the end will make it torturous to remain married to him. I’d be so heartbroken to find out he didn’t want the same things I did.

I spent years standing in his shadow, giving him every piece of my heart while he kept his locked away. I tried to deny it, but I was always his, completely and hopelessly. Even when it was clear I’d been discarded. Nothing more than an afterthought to him. I walked straight into this, knowing the outcome was grim. I fell for a man who only ever saw me as a temporary fix, and now I could be left holding the pieces.

Shaking the dark thoughts from my head, I decide to head down to check on Grandpa. I need to get out of this quiet house before my anxiety completely consumes me.

I just need to knock louder this time.

The evening was thankfully the distraction I needed. And fully clothed. Grandpa seems to be in good spirits. Now that the awkwardness about how I found out has settled, I can pat myself on the back for helping to bring him and Bunny together. I think they can be good for each other.

As I round the corner toward the back porch, I freeze in place.

Sam is back.

He’s moved the patio furniture out of the way, creating an open space on the wooden deck. Dozens of small, flickering candles line the railing, casting a warm, golden glow across the dark wood. He stands near the edge of the steps, dressed in a black button-down shirt, motioning softly for me to come join him.

Tears form in my eyes. I didn’t want to consider how devastated I’d be if I lost him after finally reconnecting. The sight of him before me has me all in my feels.

From his phone resting on the glass table, the sweet, nineties melody of Sixpence None the Richer’s, “Kiss Me” filters softly through the night air. He reaches out, taking my hand as I step onto the porch, pulling me gently against his chest. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he takes the lead, swaying us slowly under the stars in the quiet rustle of the evening breeze.

It should be the most romantic moment of my life. My husband, holding me in the moonlight, dancing with me in a sea of candlelight. A hopeful reassurance of the life we’re building, and a future I’m desperately clinging to. But as I rest my cheek against his warm chest, listening to the sweet tune playing on the table, my heart refuses to settle.

Because instead of hearing the romantic lyrics of the song, all I can hear echoing in my head on a loop are Taylor’s words.

Are we out of the woods yet?

Chapter Forty-One

Lexi

The fax from the American Urological Association sits on the kitchen counter like a double-edged sword. The keynote speaker at their national conference on the West Coast is a career-defining honor. It’s the kind of professional milestone I’ve been dreaming of.

There’s just one terrifying problem.

I haven’t set foot on an airplane since I was ten years old. Not since a sudden storm took the small private engine carrying my parents. The mere thought of stepping into a pressurized metal tube thirty thousand feet in the air makes my lungs lock up and my palms sweat.

When Sam arrives home, finding me sitting on the back porch with my knees pulled tightly to my chest, he doesn’t hesitate. He heads straight for me. “What’s wrong?”

“I got invited to be the keynote speaker at the National Urology Conference.”

“Holy shit, baby. That’s incredible. My wife if so fucking cool.” He beams. “When is it? Are you nervous?”

“It’s next week. I think the speaker they originally booked is having surgery or something. But it’s still a huge honor. And it’s a huge professional achievement simply to be asked. I’m not nervous about speaking.” I look at him, my drawn face betraying my worry. “It’s getting there. I hadn’t planned to go. Unfortunately, I only attend ones I can drive to.”

I notice the moment that it dawns on him. I’ll have to travel by plane.