The Heart - Kate Stewart Page 0,89

knocked the wind out of me again, and I’m not going to stand here and wait for you to rip the rest of me apart.”

“Jack, please don’t leave,” I said weakly.

“I can’t stay here and watch you throw us away. Tell your father and the family I said goodbye.”

“Jack, please don’t leave like this.” I was sobbing now as he looked me over and took a step toward me, cupped my face and slid his thumbs along my cheeks. “My being here is tearing you apart, too, and as selfish as I feel right now, I hate seeing you cry. Don’t cry, baby. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was so fucking insensitive.”

“Don’t be sorry. I should have told you,” I said as a fresh wound opened and my heart bled freely before him. “Don’t leave, Jack.”

“God, Rose, all I wanted to do was make you happy. I wanted in, but I had no idea what I was up against. I can’t make you mine if you’ve already decided you belong to someone else. I can’t stay, not like this, wondering if I ever had a real piece of you, fighting a battle you tell me I’ve already lost. You don’t belong to me, and I can’t handle it. I’m too far gone and I’ve made a goddamned fool of myself.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“What for?” He looked at me with unshed tears in his eyes. “I fell in love with a beautiful woman worthy of it. I’m not sorry.” He leaned in and kissed me. Just as the kiss deepened, I gripped him to me desperately. He pulled away, making our separation unbearable.

Jack looked at me for a long moment before he kissed my tear soaked lips one last time and climbed into his truck. I banged on his window as I begged. “Jack, please don’t drive!”

Alarm covered his features as he rolled down his window.

“Please don’t drive,” I begged in near hysterics.

“I’m going to the center. I’ll sleep it off there. I’ll be fine. The bottle was almost empty when I started.”

“You can stay here. You don’t have to go. I want you to stay. I do!”

He cut me off when he looked at me again, the pain on his features unbearable. “Let’s not fault each other, okay? There’s too much here between us. I want you too much. Jesus, every time I look at you, it’s like lightning to the chest.” He missed my gasp at his words as he turned the ignition and took off, the gravel kicking up behind him.

“Jack!”

Sobs poured from me as I planted my ass on the grass, completely obliterated. He’d seen my baggage, and it had been too much for him. The gash in my chest openly bled as I curled up on my lawn, the foolish widow that I was. After years of begging my heart, it finally stopped beating.

Three Weeks Later...

I stood with my sister beside my family as I moved to address the crowd in front of me. A crowd filled with friends of the family, new employees of the center, media, and the building crew.

I hadn’t at all thought about the words I would say as they looked at me expectantly, and for the first time in a very long time, I let my heart lead.

“My sister and I have known since we were young that we wanted to be doctors,” I started, my voice surprisingly steady. “We made it our common goal to open a general practice and worked hard toward that common goal.” I looked over at Dallas and smiled as her eyes filled, and I rolled mine at her, trying to make her laugh, which she did. I couldn’t afford to get choked up. With fresh breath, I faced the crowd.

“To say this is the most important day of our lives would be a lie. The two of us may look back on this day with fondness and pride. It may very well rank high as one of our best, but I can tell you with absolute certainty it won’t be either of our favorite days.”

I saw a mix of confusion on the faces of the onlookers.

“Because the two of us were raised to know what was truly important, and that’s our time with people who shape our lives.”

I saw my mom squeeze my dad’s arm in approval before giving me a wink. “I can honestly tell you that for Dallas, a day that will top today was the day she married her husband, Dean. And me,