folded his arms over his
chest defensively. “Then explain it to me. Because it was pretty cut and dry
for me. I loved you. I wanted you. I asked you to be my wife because I wanted
to be with you forever. It was that simple.”
Holly sighed and ran a hand
through the strands of hair that had come loose around her face. “I did love
you,” she whispered. “But I didn’t love you the way I should have in order to
be a good wife to you, Lyle. You deserve so much more than I could give you. I
know you don’t want to hear that right now, but maybe someday you’ll
understand. The love I have for Jack . . . that’s what you deserve, and I just
couldn’t give it to you. God, I wanted to. You’re so good. You are one of the
best people I know, and you’re so loyal and dependable.”
“Those are traits people use to
describe golden retrievers,” Lyle said with a sarcastic scoff. “Glad to hear
that ‘sexy,’ ‘passionate,’ and ‘romantic’ are on your long list of desirable
traits.”
“Lyle!” she exclaimed, coming to
her feet, turning those pleading eyes on him.
“I get it,” he said with a wave
of his hand, brushing her comment off nonchalantly even though it was eating
him up inside. “I’m not that guy and I never have been. I’m a surgeon. I’m pragmatic,
I’m intelligent, and I’m practical. Jack comes charging into our wedding with
the wind in his hair, wearing his heart on his sleeve, and I knew I’d lost you.
I knew I could never be that guy.”
Holly stepped forward and looked
up at him, her hand coming up to his face tenderly. Lyle sighed and lowered his
eyes. He couldn’t look into her eyes and see love for someone else there. It
had been hard enough to endure on what was supposed to have been the happiest
day of his life.
“I wish that I knew how to say
what I feel without hurting you,” she said gently. “But it seems like I’m only
making it worse, so I’m going to go now. I just wanted you to know that I do
care about how you feel, and I am sorry for hurting you. But in the end, I
think we would have both been miserable if we’d gotten married. I hope that
when you’re ready to try again, you’ll meet the right woman for you. She’ll
make you happier than I ever could have.”
She dropped her hand from his
face and reached into her purse. Lyle glanced down with blurred vision at the
small, square, black velvet box she’d left on the kitchen counter before
turning to leave. Lyle lifted it and clenched it in his fist, knowing that
Holly’s engagement ring was inside. It burned like a hot coal against his palm.
“Holly?”
She paused, turning to glance
back at him over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“Can you do . . . something . . .
with all of this?” He gestured toward the pile of wrapped packages tied with
satin ribbons and bows. “I just don’t know what to do with it all.”
Her smile was sad as she nodded.
“Of course. I’ll take care of it.”
Lyle nodded back and turned
toward his bedroom, wanting to put as much distance between them as possible
before he was tempted to do something stupid like falling to his knees and
begging for another chance. She’d already made enough of a fool out of him.
Placing the ring box back onto the counter and deciding to deal with it later,
Lyle left the room without looking back.
“Thank you.”
Once alone, Lyle crossed over to
his bed and sank down onto it, raking his hands through his hair. He pulled at
the strands mercilessly, needing the pain to remind him that this wasn’t a
dream. This was happening. At some point, his life had become something empty
and hollow that even the woman he loved didn’t want to be a part of.
He wasn’t sure how long he sat
there, staring at the wall and waiting for the sounds of Holly moving around
the living room to cease, but when he opened his eyes hours later, the sun was
climbing in the sky outside of his window and the sounds of banging pots and
pans were driving beneath the
chest defensively. “Then explain it to me. Because it was pretty cut and dry
for me. I loved you. I wanted you. I asked you to be my wife because I wanted
to be with you forever. It was that simple.”
Holly sighed and ran a hand
through the strands of hair that had come loose around her face. “I did love
you,” she whispered. “But I didn’t love you the way I should have in order to
be a good wife to you, Lyle. You deserve so much more than I could give you. I
know you don’t want to hear that right now, but maybe someday you’ll
understand. The love I have for Jack . . . that’s what you deserve, and I just
couldn’t give it to you. God, I wanted to. You’re so good. You are one of the
best people I know, and you’re so loyal and dependable.”
“Those are traits people use to
describe golden retrievers,” Lyle said with a sarcastic scoff. “Glad to hear
that ‘sexy,’ ‘passionate,’ and ‘romantic’ are on your long list of desirable
traits.”
“Lyle!” she exclaimed, coming to
her feet, turning those pleading eyes on him.
“I get it,” he said with a wave
of his hand, brushing her comment off nonchalantly even though it was eating
him up inside. “I’m not that guy and I never have been. I’m a surgeon. I’m pragmatic,
I’m intelligent, and I’m practical. Jack comes charging into our wedding with
the wind in his hair, wearing his heart on his sleeve, and I knew I’d lost you.
I knew I could never be that guy.”
Holly stepped forward and looked
up at him, her hand coming up to his face tenderly. Lyle sighed and lowered his
eyes. He couldn’t look into her eyes and see love for someone else there. It
had been hard enough to endure on what was supposed to have been the happiest
day of his life.
“I wish that I knew how to say
what I feel without hurting you,” she said gently. “But it seems like I’m only
making it worse, so I’m going to go now. I just wanted you to know that I do
care about how you feel, and I am sorry for hurting you. But in the end, I
think we would have both been miserable if we’d gotten married. I hope that
when you’re ready to try again, you’ll meet the right woman for you. She’ll
make you happier than I ever could have.”
She dropped her hand from his
face and reached into her purse. Lyle glanced down with blurred vision at the
small, square, black velvet box she’d left on the kitchen counter before
turning to leave. Lyle lifted it and clenched it in his fist, knowing that
Holly’s engagement ring was inside. It burned like a hot coal against his palm.
“Holly?”
She paused, turning to glance
back at him over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“Can you do . . . something . . .
with all of this?” He gestured toward the pile of wrapped packages tied with
satin ribbons and bows. “I just don’t know what to do with it all.”
Her smile was sad as she nodded.
“Of course. I’ll take care of it.”
Lyle nodded back and turned
toward his bedroom, wanting to put as much distance between them as possible
before he was tempted to do something stupid like falling to his knees and
begging for another chance. She’d already made enough of a fool out of him.
Placing the ring box back onto the counter and deciding to deal with it later,
Lyle left the room without looking back.
“Thank you.”
Once alone, Lyle crossed over to
his bed and sank down onto it, raking his hands through his hair. He pulled at
the strands mercilessly, needing the pain to remind him that this wasn’t a
dream. This was happening. At some point, his life had become something empty
and hollow that even the woman he loved didn’t want to be a part of.
He wasn’t sure how long he sat
there, staring at the wall and waiting for the sounds of Holly moving around
the living room to cease, but when he opened his eyes hours later, the sun was
climbing in the sky outside of his window and the sounds of banging pots and
pans were driving beneath the
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