I watch his long stride. He’s dressed in worn jeans and a black shirt, with a loose khaki jacket over them. His beard stubble is heavier than usual, and his green eyes are shadowed, giving him a dark and moody air. He stops at my table.
“What are you doing here?” I ask stupidly.
His lips quirk. “What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for someone.”
“Huh. Could you be waiting for your witchy sisters?”
I straighten. “Maybe.”
He pulls out a chair and takes a seat. “They aren’t coming.”
“What? How do you know?”
He leans closer to me, and I find myself lost in those mossy eyes. “Because this is a setup.”
I blink. “What?” My conversational skills are really dazzling tonight.
“I didn’t know if you’d talk to me. So I asked them to help get you here.”
My lips quiver. “Why?”
“Because I have some things to say to you.”
“Oh.” I swallow. “Okay. Go for it.”
A waitress appears next to us with a smile. “Another beer for you?” she asks me.
“Sure.”
“What are you drinking?” Trace asks.
“Hoppy Ending Pale Ale.” And then my bottom lip trembles and a tear leaks out of my eye. No Hoppy Ending for me and Trace.
He frowns. “Is it that bad?”
“No.” I swipe the tear away. I have to be stronger than this. “It’s good. You know. H-hoppy.”
“I’ll have one of those too,” he tells the waitress.
She nods and moves away.
“Hopefully it won’t make me cry,” he says.
“Are you making a joke?”
He grimaces. “Trying. Not funny?”
I rub my nose. “No, no. That was good.”
“Romy. I’m so sorry.”
I gaze at him. “For what?”
“For being an idiot.”
I purse my lips and consider that. “Fair.”
He chokes on a laugh.
“You’re not an idiot,” I say. “I didn’t realize that you’ve been trying to bring your family back ever since the accident. I understand why that’s so important for you. Even though it wasn’t your fault. I knew you felt responsible for the accident you were in, but—”
“You knew?” He stares at me, openmouthed.
“Yes. Felise told me. I… I wish you’d told me.”
He swallows. “I thought you’d hate me.”
“No.” I touch my fingertips to his cheek. “It wasn’t your fault, Trace. Someone pulled out in front of you. There was nothing you could have done.”
“I was a kid. A new driver. I kept telling myself there could have been something. There should have been something I did. I felt responsible. Like I killed them.”
“I know. I know you felt like that. But you don’t have to.” I swallow a sigh. “I wish things could be different. I wish you knew how valued and loved you are here. I mean here…” I wave my hands in a big circle. “Not here in this bar. Here in this time.”
“I do know.” His eyes glimmer with amusement, but his voice is low and serious. “And that’s what I’m sorry about. That I didn’t realize it. But now I do.”
“You do?” My heart leaps and then zooms into a gallop worthy of Secretariat. I search his face, trying to figure out where this is going.
“Yeah.”
The waitress brings our beers and sets them on the table. We ignore her and the drinks, staring into each other’s eyes.
“I’m not going to do it.”
I blink a few times. “Do what?”
“Go back in time.”
I stiffen. I can’t breathe. My hand splays against my breastbone. “Why? It’s what you’ve always wanted.”
“I was wrong. I wanted love. Family. Belonging.” He pauses, pulling in a breath through his nose. “It took losing you to make me realize… I already have those things.”
“Oh.” My lungs expel all the air from them. Dizziness assails me. Those are the things I’ve always wanted too.
“I have family. Family who loves me enough to send me back in time to make me happy.” His smile holds a touch of sadness. “I have a great job that I love. I don’t just work there because of the Candlers. I work there because I love what I do. I love making beautiful homes for people. Because home is important.”
“It is.” My throat thickens.
“And I have something else to tell you.”
I nod, waiting.
He stands.
My forehead tightens as he walks over to the karaoke stage.
“Our first performer of the evening!” the announcer booms into the microphone. “Trace Holcomb!”
I can’t stop blinking, and I press my hand flat to my chest where my heart is still galloping. What is he doing?
He steps onto the stage and takes the microphone amid a smattering of applause.
Then my jaw nearly smacks the table as Dad and Cassie… and Felise and Magan walk into