Chapter 24

Unfortunately, one night wouldn't heal the months of neglect for either of us. We'd reconnected, but once we were both back to our normal routines, the world might try to devour us again. I'd been working my tail off at Walton's, getting straight As in school, and waiting on Gray. I continued to drive myself forward with what I could control, striving for perfection in my career and in school, so my failure at home wasn't so evident. As much as I wanted to let go of the hurt, he had broken me that day in Gatlinburg, and one night wouldn't fix that. He knew it when he'd said it, but somehow, he hadn't stopped the hurtful lashing before it had escaped his mouth. He'd had some weird compulsory obligation to ensure I was aware he wasn't interested in getting married again or the commitment that led up to it. But I'd never asked him for any of that. I'd never asked him where our relationship was going, just took each day he gave me. One simple comment about a chapel and he had effectively t