After he put Sutton down, Harlee hugged him. “I’m going to miss you, Gannon. Don’t get killed.”
“Harlee!” Sutton and I both exclaimed.
Gannon let her go and laughed as we all watched her turn and rush off toward her car, clearly not wanting us to see her get emotional.
“Don’t let what she said get to you, Gannon,” Sutton called as she followed Harlee. “You’ll be fine. We’re all so proud of you and Brody.”
“Thanks, Sutton. You’ll take care of my girl, right?” Gannon said, taking my hand in his.
With a smile, Sutton answered, “You bet I will. See you later, Gannon!”
Gannon waved goodbye and then turned to face me. “We didn’t talk at all last night, Addie.”
My cheeks turned hot. “That’s because we were busy saying goodbye.”
He grinned, and I swooned ever so slightly at the dimple in his right cheek and those boyish good looks. It didn’t matter that Gannon and I had dated since ninth grade, that dimple still got to me every single time it made an appearance.
“We were busy, weren’t we?”
Laughing, I nodded. “Yes.”
Gannon glanced out over the open field that led down to the beach and the bay. Just beyond the scattered islands in the bay was the Atlantic Ocean. Seaside, Maine, was a port town, but we had beautiful stretches of beaches. Some were pebbled while some had the softest sand I’d ever felt between my toes. Small pockets of islands littered our coastline, some private islands and others parks. The largest was Lighthouse Island. It had been there for more than one-hundred years and was still guiding boats into the harbor. Okay, they might not really use it, but it was still maintained by the same family all these generations later. The only way to get to the island was by ferry.
I drew in a breath. “We’ve got time to talk now.”
He nodded and then started to walk toward my car.
“Man, the memories we made in this car,” Gannon said with wink in my direction.
I unlocked the doors to my Honda Accord and chuckled. “Lots of fond memories.”
We both slipped in and I started the car, then simply sat there.
“Addie, what’s wrong?”
I drew in a slow breath and let it out, focusing on keeping my voice steady. “I’m going to miss you, Gannon.”
He reached for my hand. “I’m going to miss you, too, but it’s not like we won’t ever see each other again. Remember what you said about fate?”
Nodding, I looked at him. “I know. It doesn’t make it any easier.”
The corners of his mouth tipped up. “Come on, let’s go grab something to eat.”
Ten minutes later, we sat in my parents’ restaurant. Ruby, one of the waitresses who had been working for my parents for as long as I could remember, took our orders and then brought us two waters. I had looked for Harlee and Sutton when we’d walked in but didn’t see them.
After Ruby set the glasses down, she looked at Gannon. “We’re all so proud of you, Gannon.”
He smiled. “Thanks, Ruby.”
“Following in your daddy’s footsteps along with your brothers. He must be over the moon and so proud of you boys.”
Gannon nodded. “Yes, ma’am, he is.”
Gannon’s father, Ken, was a lawyer, but he’d been in the Navy. He was indeed proud of his son. Gannon wasn’t following in his father’s footsteps per se, but the fact that both of his sons would be in the Navy made him proud. Brody, Gannon’s older brother by a year, was already in the Academy.
Ruby squeezed my shoulder. “You two enjoy each other’s company while you wait for your dinner.”
After she walked away, I glanced toward the kitchen. Usually one of my parents was here, but I hadn’t caught a glimpse of either of them.
“So, how long are we going to put this off?” Gannon asked.
I snapped me head back and caught his gaze. “I hate this.”
“Me too. I love you, Adelaide, and I’ll always love you.”
A warm rush of happiness swept over me and pooled in my lower stomach. “I’ll always love you, too, Gannon. We’re doing the right thing, right?”
He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re both going in two totally different directions. We each have dreams and goals. It wouldn’t be fair for either of us to expect the other to alter that. I’m sorry I asked you to marry me when I did, Addie. It wasn’t fair to you. I just…”
Tears stung the backs of my eyes. “I know why you did it, just like you know why I had to say no.”
“It was the right thing to do, Addie. You’re right. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us to get married and then spend the next four-plus years apart with only visits here and there.”
I sighed. “It doesn’t make it any easier.”
“How about this—when I’m back in Seaside, if you’re here and we’re both single, we catch up with each other. No strings attached.”