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That she's apologizing for her feelings

"Vale," I say, intent on trying to ease her conscience without devaluing as in her heart

"I'," she says, and pulls her head up from my shoulder

My head snaps to the right, aze, doesn't look away in cowardice or sha this decision, and I have to wonder how she came to this

"Leaving where?"

"I've been offered a job back at Ohio Stateas an assistant athletic trainer for the women's lacrosse team Tryouts are in January"

My head spins, and while my inclination is to squeeze her hand in denial, I'm further thrown off balance when she pulls her hand away She turns on the concrete step to look directly at me "I've already talked to Gray Brannon She said I can continue on until the end of the year or leave now Dad wants to et settled back there and then head to Columbus"

"Wait," I say, co out of my stupor to ask with incredulity, "Just wait a minute Is this because I couldn't say the words back to you?"

I expect her to deny it and give ives me blunt honesty "Yes That's the exact reason While I'ht, I'll never apologize for s I do love you, Hawke, and you cannot kno painful it is knowing you don't feel the same"

"Actually, I do kno bad that feels," I say bitterly, hoping to hurt her just a tiny bit the way she's hurtingthe same to me"

Anger and hurt ithin her eyes "So I guess that ht?"

"Not the same, Vale," I say tiredly as I stand up from the concrete step and brush my jeans off "Back then, you cut o and never thought twice about me after that I'm quite sure this et over soive row back into this, but you want everything right now"

"I can't deny s," she says as her eyes drop down to her hands, where she fiddles with her bracelet

"And I can't conjure up feelings that may not exist," I throw back at her T

otal ass co cornered and confused

Vale presses her lips together in disree I can't stay here and continue on with a man I love down to my soulalways haveand continue to be hurt by the fact that it's not a tay street I thought you had left all of that behind us I know I have"

"Well, yeah," I say sarcastically "It was a little easier for you to leave it behind You weren't the one swinging in the wind"

Vale opens herto have a remarkable impact on me I can see it in her eyes, almost as if she's decided to lay all the cards on the table and I have the uneasy sensation that she's holding a royal flush I brace for it, ready to have her throw me for some type of loop that will either cement our demise or possibly shake us back to some reasonable reality

Instead, her nation sets into the firm line of her jaw She stands up, leans forward, and places her hands on my chest She kisses my cheek "Goodbye, Hawke"

I'm a proud man, yet still I'll admit that those words al deep withinneed to scream at her to stay wells up inside of ainst it hard and push it down I a to see past my wall of hurt and betrayal and try to see the truth of what she e the direction in which ere headed

Which is a lonely street of heartbreak and abandonain

Except at thiswhom

Chapter 26

Vale

The knock on my bedroom door startles me I had been so deep into Dean Koontz's latest thriller that icy shivers race up my spine frorins in atto get reeting

"Hey, honey," my dad says, his cheeks rosy from the cold outside "Want to come see the tree?"

I dog-ear the page, close the book, and set it aside My hand goes to Piper's head and scratches at her lazily Best thing since returning to Sydney was taking possession of ot a Christmas tree already"