Chapter 2His Shadow Vow

Grant walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He came up behind me, and a cool chain settled against my neck.

He leaned in, his warm lips pressing against my skin.

“Do you like it?”

It tickled. I tilted my head away. “I’m a little tired today.”

He paid my comment no mind, his hands landing on my shoulders, kneading them gently.

“She’s signed the papers. Just three more months, and I’m a free man.”

“Then, I’ll take you to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. We’ll go on vacation in Hawaii. We’ll exchange vows at the foot of a snow-capped mountain. A lifetime together, Leah. What do you say?”

His voice was light, filled with a palpable sense of relief. I forced a smile. My own voice was calm, flat.

“Congratulations.”

I wasn't sure if I was congratulating him on the impending divorce, or on his second child.

My detached response seemed to throw him. He turned me around to face him, his handsome brow furrowed.

“Leah, aren’t you happy? You’ve waited seven years for this day.”

I reached up, smoothing the lines on his forehead, my voice returning to its usual softness. “Of course, I’m happy. Grant, do you remember what you promised me when you first told me you loved me? You promised you would never, ever lie to me.”

His arms, wrapped around my waist, went still. I could feel his gaze avoiding mine.

He let go of me, kissed my forehead, and said, “Leah, I love you. Everything I do is for you, for us. You have to believe that.”

I pushed him away gently, gave him a small smile, and walked into the bathroom.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror—a woman nearly thirty—I felt lost. From the prime of my youth, my entire world had revolved around Grant Harrison. I never doubted his love for me.

But the thirty-year-old Grant couldn’t have a world that contained only love. He had family obligations. He had the responsibilities of a father.

Even after ten years, it was clear we could never truly be on the same path.