Confessions from the Quilting Circle - Maisey Yates Page 0,131
they were destined for forever or not, he mattered. He would be part of Emma’s story.
Every person you loved was part of the story.
The story of the world, the story of the Lighthouse Inn.
Jenny Hansen had come here for a second chance.
Rachel had read the letters from Richard Johnson. He’d found himself while defending this place that she loved with all of her heart.
The college students that had stayed here... They had found adventure, the beginning of their lives, she assumed.
Rachel, Anna, Emma and Wendy were all part of the story of Cape Hope Lighthouse. Part of the history.
A continuous thread in a brilliant tapestry that made a picture of life, of love, loss and hope.
And it was up to them now to decide what picture their thread would make.
It was up to them now to choose love.
“She’s at the lighthouse.”
EMMA
“I thought I would find you here.”
Emma turned and saw Luke walking up the hill toward the lighthouse.
“Did my mom rat me out?”
“Yeah. She did. I would like to pretend that I just found you because I knew you. But...she told me. She also said that if you threw me off the cliff and into the ocean she would deny all knowledge of my ever having been here.”
“That sounds like my mom.” She hesitated for a moment. “Did you come to break up with me?”
“No. I didn’t. I came to tell you that I love you, actually.”
Emma stomach tightened. “Really?”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. I’m in awe of you, Emma. The way that you hope for good things. I had that beaten out of me pretty early. And learning to trust in the world again is... It’s weird. I’m not sure that I actually ever trust in love. No one ever gave me a reason to. Until you. I’ll come visit you. And I’ll be here when you need me. I’ll be here when you come back. I’ll wait for you. There’s no one else I want. No one else I want to be with. Now, you may be able to do better than a mechanic in a small town, but I’m never going to be able to do better than you.”
Emma closed the distance between them, and kissed him, her heart thundering wildly. “You’re an idiot.”
“Yeah, that’s my point.”
“Nobody can do better than love. It’s the best. It’s what holds us all together. Trust me on that one.”
“I do. I do trust you. And I’m going to need you to be patient with me while I figure all this out.”
“I promise. Because I love you, and it’s worth it.”
“I’m proud of you. I’m going to tell everybody that my girlfriend is on the East Coast going to school. That she’s following her dreams.”
“It’ll be tough. Because one of my dreams will be back here waiting for me.”
“I’m one of your dreams?”
“You’re my favorite one. But I want to do everything.”
“You can.”
“Thank you for making me believe that.”
She kissed him again as the sun sank into the water. And they stayed there until the lighthouse lit up the sky.
RACHEL
She didn’t want to meet in the diner. She didn’t want to meet at his apartment. She asked him to meet her on the beach, because she couldn’t continue pretending that what they had together was separate.
No, she knew it wasn’t. Because she carried the pain of letting it go into her real life, and she carried her regret over the way that things had happened in her real life. And it was time to face up to that.
To deal with the realizations that she’d been having over the past few days. Over the past few months.
She didn’t know if he would come. She crossed her arms, staring out at the water, resolutely not looking back at the parking lot by the beach. The wind whipped past her ears, and she tightened her jacket more firmly around her body.
And then she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Adam. He was wearing a coat, his hands stuffed in the pockets.
“You came,” she said.
“Of course I did.”
“There is no ‘of course’ about it. After all the things I said to you... Especially about your family.”
“Believe it or not, I have pretty ample experience dealing with wounded creatures. I know that they attack when they feel backed into a corner.”
“I’m a wounded creature?”
“Sure.”
She would love to be mad about it, but he wasn’t wrong. Not entirely.
“I’ve done a lot of thinking,” she said. “And I’ve done a lot of