Not trusting herself to speak, she just shrugged.
He took a step closer. “I love you.”
The sweet words were a balm to her aching heart. She would try to remember this moment on cold winter nights when she was alone and missing him.
He stared, an expectant look on his face.
“I love you, too,” she admitted.
“Thank you, God.” He moved close and pulled her to him. “Don’t leave, Lauren. Stay with me. Please.”
Lauren let herself return his hug, but only for a moment. Then she stepped back, untangling herself from his arms. “I can’t, Seth. You know that as well as I do.”
“I don’t know any such thing,” he said with a fierceness that took her breath away. “We belong together. I love you. You love me.”
“That fact changes nothing.” He was too honorable a man to break his promise, and she loved him too much to ask. “I can’t stay and just be your friend.”
“Who said anything about friends?” He grabbed her hands, and when she tried to pull away, his grip tightened. “I love you, Lauren. More than I thought possible. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, loving you, cherishing you, making you happy. I want—”
“Stop.” Lauren jerked back her hands, thankful the rising anger kept her tears at bay. “Why are you doing this? You have to know how much it hurts to think of being apart from you and Ivy. But you made a vow to Jan. Us being together isn’t an option.”
“But—”
“I think it’s best if you leave.”
His feet remained firmly planted and a look she couldn’t quite decipher filled his eyes. “Please, Lauren. Give me five minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”
The pleading in his voice was nearly her undoing. She cleared her throat and nodded. “Five minutes.”
Lauren led him to the parlor and perched on the edge of the sofa, expecting him to settle himself in the chair. Instead, he dropped beside her. With a resigned sigh she shifted to face him, inhaling the tantalizing scent of his cologne, reminding herself that what wouldn’t kill her would make her stronger.
“This is so important....” Seth blew out a breath and raked a hand through his hair. “I’m not as good with words as you are, so please bear with me.”
His voice shook. Seth was the most confident guy she knew. To see him so unsure and stressed tugged at her heartstrings.
“It’s okay,” she said in a soft whisper. “Take all the time you need.”
Unexpectedly he captured her hand. “I can’t be this close and not touch you.”
Her breath hitched in her throat. The feel of his calloused hand against hers was pure heaven. The hell was in knowing this was the last time she’d feel his touch. She wanted to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders and never let go. But forever wasn’t an option for them. Had never been an option. She squeezed his hand and offered an encouraging smile anyway.
“When Jan asked for my promise not to marry again until Ivy was out of high school, it took me by surprise. While I knew her mother had remarried when she was a child and that Jan and her stepfather had never gotten along, I hadn’t realized how deeply she’d been scarred. Jan loved Ivy so much. She couldn’t bear to think of her daughter one day being in that same situation.”
Lauren had known motherly love existed, but had never experienced what a driving force it could be until she’d spent time with Ivy. Her heart went out to Jan. How frightening it must have been for her, knowing she was going to die and leave her precious child behind. “She wanted Ivy to always feel special and loved.”
Seth nodded. “I know Jan trusted me to take care of Ivy. She’s always trusted me.” His fingers tightened around Lauren’s hand. “That’s why the more I thought about it, the more I realized I’d been so focused on the promise itself I hadn’t considered the intent of the vow.”
Lauren was now thoroughly confused. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“Jan wanted me to be happy. She wanted Ivy to be happy. From that hospital bed, it must have seemed the only way to ensure our happiness was for me to remain single. But she couldn’t have known about you. She couldn’t have known that there was someone out there who’d one day walk into our lives and bring such joy and happiness to both of us.”
He jerked to his feet, strode to the mantel, then turned. “If she had, I know from the deepest part of my being, she wouldn’t want that promise to keep you from us. The only thing she ever wanted was for Ivy and me to be happy. We’ve found that happiness with you. We both love you, Lauren.”
The tears that had begun filling Lauren’s eyes slipped down her cheeks. She brushed them away with the backs of her hands. While she was afraid to hope for too much, her heart gave an excited leap. “Where do we go from here?”
“That depends.” He resumed his seat and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Once you finish your PhD you could go anywhere in the country. Heck, you already have a job—”
“I turned it down.”
“What?”
“It was a career-building opportunity, but that’s not what I want.” Her voice trembled, then broke. She cleared her throat. “Tenure with an Ivy League college was my father’s dream, not mine.”
His eyes searched hers. “What is your dream, Lauren? If you could live anywhere in the world, do anything you wanted, what would you choose?”
He’d asked her that question before, back when she’d encouraged him to pursue his dream of being a vet. At that time she hadn’t known what course she wanted her life to take. This time there was no doubt.
“I want to live in Sweet River, have a
