“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. I don’t have a game face today. Hopefully, it’ll be back in time for the wedding.”
“What about dinner?”
“I’ll order some room service.”
“But you will eat. Promise?”
“Yes, Mom, I’ll eat.”
“Sorry to hover, but I’m worried about you. We all are.”
“Please don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I just need a little time to myself to process it all.”
“I understand. Is it okay to check on you when we get back?”
“I wish you would.”
Hannah hugged her. “Hang in there.”
“I’m hanging.”
“I’m going to kill him when I get home.”
“Don’t do that. Amelia would never get over it—and neither would I.”
“Those Guthrie boys always were a handful. Some things never change. I wonder all the time if Caleb ever would’ve settled down into regular life after the army.”
“Life after the army? Like twenty years from now?”
Hannah bit her lip and shook her head. “He was going to get out after that last deployment. We made the decision before he left. He’d had enough of the deployments, and we were thinking about having kids.” She rested her hand on her belly. “He didn’t want them to grow up the way he did, moving all the time and always missing their dad.”
“God, Hannah . . .”
She smiled softly and shrugged. “Life’s a bitch.”
“It certainly can be. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I miss him every day, but I’m really happy with Nolan. And I know you’re going to find your happily ever after, too. I know it.”
“I wish I were so sure. I don’t think it’s going to be with Gavin.”
“Maybe not, but there’s someone out there who’s going to appreciate the amazing, thoughtful, loving woman you are. You just can’t give up on love because of this, El. That would be the worst thing you could do.”
Nolan came up behind his wife and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Is she hovering, Ella?”
“Just a little, but it’s okay.”
“How’re you doing?” he asked.
“I’ve had better days, but I’ll be all right. I’ll see you guys later. Have fun at the dinner.”
Hannah hugged her. “Love you,” she whispered.
“Love you, too.”
Nolan surprised Ella when he kissed her forehead and hugged her. “Sorry you’re going through this. There’re a whole lot of guys who love you who want to put a hurt on him right now.”
Touched to realize Nolan was one of them, she blinked back tears as she drew back from him. “Thanks, but that’s not going to fix what’s wrong here.”
“Maybe not, but it sure would make us happy.”
Ella laughed and brushed away tears. “Go on and have fun. I’ll see you later.”
After they left, Ella picked up the room service menu and looked it over. Though she’d promised Hannah she would eat, the thought of food turned her stomach, so she put down the menu. Maybe later. She went out to the deck that overlooked the beach and the vast Caribbean. As she leaned against the rail, the warm, soft air made her hair flutter in the light breeze. The sun dipped toward the horizon in a blaze of color that promised a spectacular sunset.
In the courtyard below, a group of children chased a soccer ball around, all of them dressed for dinner with their hair combed into submission. Their laughter and excitement caused the ache inside her to intensify into a sharp pain of regret.
Twenty-four hours after he turned down the chance to come with her, she was still trying to figure out how it had all gone so very wrong. Maybe she would never understand.
The phone in her room rang, setting her heart to racing. Was it him? What if it was? Did she want to talk to him? Not really. Not yet. Only the thought of her parents trying to reach them had her dashing inside to grab the extension by the bed. “Hello?”
“Is it true?” Charley asked without preamble. “Did he refuse to go?”