to him. But this Wyn, she thought, might make a great friend.
“That’s what happens when you get dropped into chaos and baptized by fire. You slipped off to a secluded island. I had to deal not only with my parents, but your mother, aunt and Mitzi, too.”
Part of her wanted to grin. “I think I would have liked to see that.”
“I assure you, it wasn’t pretty. And I’m still paying for what I did, but that’s okay.”
“Oh, before I forget.” Lena pulled out of Wyn’s embrace and disappeared into her bedroom to retrieve the ring she’d placed in her jewelry box for safekeeping. The large diamond flashed as the light hit it, but it was the plain band sitting next to it that held her attention.
Walking back into the living room, she held the engagement ring out to Wyn. “Just promise me you won’t rush into things and give it to Mitzi the minute you see her.” She thought about her words, about everything Wyn had just said and the slow progression of their own relationship. “Wait. Scratch that. Maybe you should give it to her right away.”
Wyn held out his hands, not to take what she offered, but to tell her to stop. “No, Lena, that’s yours. Sell it. Keep it. I don’t care. It’s the least I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Wyn.” Reaching for his hand, she turned it over, dropped the ring into his palm and curled his fingers around it. Giving him back the ring was the right thing to do. Not because it was expensive. Not because it mattered to either of them. But because it didn’t matter and never really had. It was a symbol of the mistake they’d almost made, and keeping it around just felt wrong.
He looked up at her with a mixed expression of guilt and hope and something she hadn’t seen in a long time but never realized was missing—happiness.
“I hope you can be happy, Lena.”
Wyn left after she promised to give his father a call in a few days, once she’d thought about his offer to freelance. If nothing else, she might do it until she found a new job.
Wyn was gone, but his words still lingered in her head.
Was she being a coward? Was she allowing fear to rule her decisions and keep her from really living?
There was certainly no hiding the devastation she was feeling. No, she wasn’t wallowing in her bed, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t heartbroken and upset.
She was definitely afraid. Afraid to put herself out there, to admit that she loved Colt, only to find out that he didn’t feel the same. Or that they couldn’t make their lives mesh. Or that he wanted something different from the future than she did.
How quickly he had dropped everything to rush off to Peru. It scared her, his ability to pull up stakes at a moment’s notice. But a tiny part of her also envied him those adventures.
She had to admit that there were a few good things about her childhood, although she often had a hard time remembering them. She’d seen so many amazing things. She hadn’t just taken history, she’d learned about all the ancient sites in person. There were memories, good ones, of sharing laughter and happy times with her mother. It was just that they’d been overshadowed by the helplessness, fear and uncertainty of the bad times.
But could she continue to let those bad memories and unwanted lessons dictate her future?
How did she know for sure that she and Colt couldn’t make it work? She hadn’t given them the chance to try.
Hell, if Wyn and Mitzi could make it work, anyone could.
That left only one thing for her to do.
Go to Peru.
COLT LET HIS EYES WANDER the dark jungle surrounding the camp. Off to the right, several of the team huddled around a campfire joking, laughing and drinking bad coffee. Normally, he’d have been right there with them enjoying the rugged parts of the job that forced him to rely on his own skills and instincts.
Not tonight. Actually, not since he’d gotten there. All he’d thought about was Lena.
How she’d turned him down. How he’d walked away.
He’d thought long and hard about what had been different between them on the island. Was it that she’d been free? Was it the romantic, sensual atmosphere of the place?
Colt didn’t think so.
“I’m an idiot,” he said to no one in particular.
High up in a tree, a monkey chattered back at him. Colt