is.”
As the war inside him continued, Brady wondered if there could be a victor. Or if there would only be victims. “You’ve been thinking about going back, starting with Cordina, but you never talked to me about it.”
“No. However selfish it sounds, Brady, this is something I needed to decide for myself. I realize it’s unfair for me to ask you to wait. So I won’t.” She closed her eyes tight, then opened them again. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that the last few weeks, with you, have meant everything to me.”
“The hell with that.” It was too much like a goodbye. He yanked her against him. “You can go to Cordina, you can go anywhere, but you won’t forget me. You won’t forget this.”
There was fury in the kiss. And desperation. She fought neither. How could she when their mirror images raged within her? She thought that if her life was to end that instant, she would have known nothing but this wild wanting.
“Brady.” She brought her hands to his face. When her brow rested against his, she drew a deep breath. “There has to be more than this. For both of us.”
“There is more.” With his thumbs under her jaw, he tilted her head back. “You know there is.”
“I made a promise to myself today. That I would take the time to think over my life, every year of it, every moment that I remembered that seemed important. And when I had done that, I would make the right decision. No more hesitations or excuses or doubts. But for now you have to let me go.”
“I let you go once before.” Before she could shake her head, he tightened his grip. “You listen to me. If you leave, like this, I won’t spend the rest of my life wishing for you. I’ll be damned if you’ll break my heart a second time.”
As they stood close, their eyes locked on each other’s, Joanie strolled into the room.
“Well, some baby-sitters.” With a laugh, she plucked Lara up and hugged her. “I can’t believe I actually missed this monster. Sorry it took so long.” She smiled at Lara and kept babbling as she fought her way through the layers of tension. “There was a line a mile long at the grocery.” She glanced down at the scattered pots and canned goods. “It looks like she kept you busy.”
“She was fine,” Vanessa managed. “She ate about half a box of crackers.”
“I thought she’d gained a couple pounds. Hi, Brady. Good timing.” His one-word comment had her rolling her eyes. “I meant I’m glad you’re here. Look who I ran into outside.” She turned just as Ham and Loretta walked in, arm in arm. “Don’t they look great?” Joanie wanted to know. “So tanned. I know tans aren’t supposed to be healthy, but they look so good.”
“Welcome back.” Vanessa smiled, but stayed where she was. “Did you have a good time?”
“It was wonderful.” Loretta set a huge straw bag down on the table. There was warm color on her cheeks, on her bare arms. And, Vanessa noted, that same quiet happiness in her eyes. “It has to be the most beautiful place on earth, all that white sand and clear water. We even went snorkeling.”
“Never seen so many fish,” Ham said as he dropped yet another straw bag on the table.
“Ha!” Loretta gave him a telling look. “He was looking at all those pretty legs under water. Some of those women down there wear next to nothing.” Then she grinned. “The men, too. I stopped looking the other way after the first day or two.”
“Hour or two,” Ham corrected.
She only laughed and dug into her bag. “Look here, Lara. We brought you a puppet.” She dangled the colorful dancer from its strings.
“Among a few dozen other things,” Ham put in. “Wait until you see the pictures. I even rented one of those underwater cameras and got shots of the, ah, fish.”
“It’s going to take us weeks to unpack it all. I can’t even think about it.” With a sigh, Loretta sat down at the table. “Oh, and the silver jewelry. I suppose I went a little wild with it.”
“Very wild,” Ham added with a wink.
“I want you both to pick out the pieces you like best,” she said to Vanessa and Joanie. “Once we find them. Brady, is that lemonade?”
“Right the first time.” He poured her a glass. “Welcome home.”
“Wait until you see your sombrero.”
“My sombrero?”
“It’s red and silver—about ten feet