“I know, but it’s true. We both know it so to ignore it makes no sense.” She licked her lips, faced her adolescent embarrassment, and continued. “I didn’t have an older brother and always envied the relationship you had with Nancy. Let’s be honest… you were a gorgeous teenager, and while I was just a gawky, nerdy, little-sister-tag-along, you were definitely the stuff of my teenage dreams. Nancy used to say that she wished we were sisters and if I married you, then we would be. Right before you left for the Navy, I foolishly tried to kiss you, and that was wrong on every level.”
“Lynn, no, please. Don’t think I didn’t notice you.”
Her head jerked back slightly in surprise, but she had no idea what he meant. “When?”
“Believe me, I noticed when you went from being a gawky, nerdy, little-sister-tag-along to a very pretty teenager with the promise of unbelievable beauty.”
Shaking her head quickly, she felt the blush of embarrassment hit her and said, “You don’t have to say this—”
“You’re right, I don’t. But it’s the truth.” His face contorted in a grimace. “I had just turned eighteen years old and you were only sixteen. I wasn’t going to tie myself down before heading off into adulthood, but the only reason I didn’t take that kiss further was that you were too young.”
Her heart began to pound. “You were man enough to apologize to me, and I need to be adult enough to apologize to you, also. It was wrong of me to kiss you the way I did. I know now it’s never right for someone to force a kiss on anyone else, but I especially put you in an awkward position.”
His lips curved more, and her gaze snagged on his smile. “Honestly, there’s no need for you to apologize, but if it makes you feel better, I accept. Just know that if you’d been older, I wouldn’t have stopped the kiss.”
She sucked her lips in, giving a little nod. While glad to hear that he didn’t resent her, she could not fight the overwhelming sense of heaviness that pressed on her heart. Her voice was shaky, but she pushed ahead. “I’m glad we cleared the air, and it’s nice to know that I wasn’t the only one who felt something special when we were in the mountains. But Nolan, we need to be smart. Two days of special does not make a future.”
“Unless we give it a shot, we have no idea what our future could be.”
“You’re actually talking about a future with me?” She blinked, staring at him in incredulity.
“All I know is that I don’t want you to contact an attorney tomorrow morning.”
“Why? What could be the purpose of not moving forward with a divorce?”
He leaned forward slightly, and for a second, she wondered if he was going to kiss her. Instead, he moved his head so that their gazes were much closer. “Right now, we just admitted that we care for each other, both found our time incredibly special, and enjoyed being together. Add to that the fact that we’re actually married, we owe it to ourselves to see… to see—”
“To see what?”
“To see it through.”
She jerked again at those words, her breath leaving her lungs in a rush. Hearing that he didn’t want her to contact an attorney sent her mind into a tangle of thoughts. Fear mixed with joy. Anger mixed with relief. But more than anything was the sad reality that stayed with her. “Nolan, I don’t see how we can make this work between us.”
This time he jerked at her words, and she felt her heart crack. Swallowing deeply, she pushed forward. “Our lives are too different. You’re a SEAL. That’s not just your job, it’s your identity. And while it’s a world that I’ve never experienced and don’t understand, I accept that it’s your world. You’re gone for weeks or months to places you can’t talk about. And when you’re not on a mission, your home is California. Me? My life is here. My business is here.”
“I get it, babe. For a long time, I didn’t see how being a SEAL and being married could work, but I’ve got to tell you that I’ve now got a whole team of married, engaged, or involved people as an inspiration. And every one of them is happy and they’re making it work.”
“Yes, but most of them are together in the same place, aren’t they?”
He hesitated and she pounced. “Nolan, I know some people can just up and move wherever, but it’s taken me a long time to get my business off the ground. I can’t just cancel my clients and move across the country—to a place where I know no one—only to have you gone most of the time. Maybe that’s selfish, but think about it… we’ve only been married for four days and only two of those actually together. That’s more of a recipe for disaster than success.”
He looked down at their hands, his features twisted in anguish, and her heart ached even more than she thought possible. Part of her wanted to just give in and tell him that she would do whatever she needed to do to make it work. She had no doubts about her feelings for him, but the uncertainty of their future loomed greatly.
“I’m not going to be a SEAL forever. You know I plan on coming back and working with my dad.”
“I think that sounds wonderful, and I know how much your parents would love that.”
“But don’t you see?” he begged. “I’m not asking you to move. I’m just reminding you that I’ll be back.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip as she carefully pondered what he was saying. “What are you asking me to do, Nolan? Do you think two days together is enough to know what we have?”
He scooted closer to her, his gaze intense. “All I know is that those were
