Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“Kyle didn’t, either.”
Dylan tipped his head to the side. “Debatable.”
“I’m not in the mood to debate, Dylan. It’s a beautiful day and you should be celebrating the success of your open house.”
She was right. He was being an ass for no reason other than unreasonable jealousy.
If Dylan had wanted to keep Erin, all he had to do was stay in Fisher Falls. At least until she graduated. Then maybe he could’ve convinced her to leave with him. But no, he left the area like his ass was on fire. He’d been more than ready to see the world. Or at least the world outside of a small town in very rural central Pennsylvania.
“It has been a very successful day.” He needed to stop being miserable and petty when it came to the unforgettable woman before him. He was better than that. “How much of the property have you seen so far?”
“Only the spa, some of the lodge and the event hall.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes. I would love to see the rest. Especially the updates to the farmhouse. But you don’t have to be my guide, Dylan. I can check it out on my own.”
That would not be happening on his watch. Especially now that he knew she was a widow and apparently, not in any kind of “committed” relationship. That was how he took Ford and Erin seeing each other “occasionally.”
What surprised him was that he found himself still attracted to her the same as he’d been when they first started dating way back when. But then, he shouldn’t be surprised. She had left a mark on him despite them being both so young at the time.
Since leaving Fisher Falls, his tastes in women might not have changed, but they did expand. He left as an eighteen-year-old virgin and returned as a sexually well-rounded thirty-five–year old.
His eyes and mind might not be as open as they were now if he hadn’t left. Throughout the years, he tried things he never wanted to do again but also discovered what he wanted and needed in his life.
The truth was, if they had stayed together or even if he stayed in Fisher Falls, his life would be totally different.
The only regret he had when it came to leaving was… her.
Also, not being around when his father died since he would’ve liked the chance to tell his father goodbye and that he loved him one last time.
Loss was difficult and he needed to get it through his thick head that Erin suffered a big one, too. It cost nothing to be a kind or decent human being. He needed to be the example and not the exception. “I’m sorry about your loss, Erin.”
Her brown eyes widened. “Are you?”
He shouldn’t be surprised by her reaction after he’d been a dick. “I’m sure it was devastating.”
Her tension seemed to dissipate a little. “It was. I’m sure the same as your father’s loss was to you.”
“We expect to outlive our parents, but not our spouses. Or our children.” He scraped a hand through his hair. “Erin, can we start over?”
Her head twitched. “What do you mean ‘start over?’”
“Can we forget the past and move forward from here? Like two adults?”
“I already did, Dylan. I moved on not long after you left Fisher Falls. You just didn’t like that fact. And despite what you might think, I was not seeing Kyle while we were together. I was in love with you. If you had stayed, I would’ve married you, if you had asked.”
Despite already knowing that, hearing her say it stabbed him in the heart. “We were only kids.”
“We also turned into the adults we are now.”
“We are the adults we are now because of the paths we took,” he explained.
“You’re saying you’d be different if you hadn’t left?”
“Absolutely,” he answered. “And you’d be different if you had.”
She chewed on her bottom lip while she considered that. “That may be true. But at the time, we were young, and I was also in no position to leave with you. I was only sixteen and still in high school. You know that.”
“You also insisted you’d never leave Fisher Falls.” He raised his eyebrows. “That turned out to be true, didn’t it?”
“Absolutely,” she echoed.
“Do you have any regrets?”
She tipped her head to the side and countered, “Do you?”
Only of leaving you behind. “No.”
“I don’t, either.”
Were they both lying to each other? “Well, there you go. We both lived the lives we were meant to live.” It might have crossed his lips, but he didn’t fully believe that.
“We’re only in our thirties, Dylan. We still have a lot of living to do.”
He jerked his head toward the farmhouse. “Then, come on, we should go do that. I’ll finish showing you around.”
“Before we do, I’ll answer your question… Yes, I would love to start over. I’ve only ever wished you success and happiness, Dylan.”