Read Online The Presence of Grace (Love and Loss #2) by Anie Michaels - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Anie Michaels
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to me and noticing my tears. “Come here.” He wrapped his arms around me and I curled into him, keeping the hand with my coffee at his side. “No crying. I’ll never get you to go out on a real date with me if I make you cry,” he said, joking, rubbing his free hand up and down my back. “Don’t be sad,” he finally whispered right next to my ear.
“I just can’t imagine,” I said, pulling away and wiping under my eyes. “I’m sorry, I just remember you that night outside the school, and how upset you were.”
“Yeah,” he said, half groaning. “That was a dumb idea. I should never have gone that night.” I nodded, agreeing. “But,” he said as he dipped down, making himself eye level with me, “we might not have ever met if I didn’t.”
The intensity of his eyes made a ball of warmth form inside me, and I couldn’t help but blush. He stood and we started walking around the pond again.
“Do you believe in fate?” he asked, his voice softer and almost wistful.
I thought about my life, of all the circumstances that had brought me to where I was in that particular moment, and the idea that it had all been predetermined was pretty depressing. I wanted it to be random, to not have to think about walking along a path that was so broken and jagged without any hope of maybe finding an alternate route.
“I don’t know,” I answered as honestly as I could.
“Believing that Olivia and I met for a reason, and that there’s a purpose past her death, is the only thing that got me through it. I had to believe that there was more waiting for me and Ruby and Jax.”
“That makes sense.”
We were quiet for a few more minutes and my mind was reeling, taking in all the information he’d given me. We came upon a bench, situated to face the pond, and he motioned toward it. “Shall we?”
“Sure,” I said with a slight smile, taking a seat on the bench. He sat next to me and I let out a breath.
“I’m sorry I dumped all that on you,” he said, making me turn to look at him. “I learned a while ago that honesty is the best policy. There’s more I want to tell you, but I don’t think it needs to be said tonight.”
I blinked at his candid words, wondering why the idea of a dishonest man was always the go-to, when obviously there were men in the world who viewed the truth as a necessity instead of an agenda.
“We’ll have time for everything important,” I whispered, still looking in his eyes.
“I hope so,” he said, just as quietly. We sat on the bench for a while; the only thing heard was the splashing of the water and the rhythmic sounds of frogs croaking. The sun had set since we’d arrived, but the air was still warm and comfortable. Eventually, Devon spoke again.
“So, I’ve spilled all my beans for the evening. How about you?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you,” he said, smiling again. Moonlight lit his face, making him all the more handsome. “What’s your story? I didn’t get much information out of you at Disney World.”
“Not a lot to tell,” I said, hoping he believed me. There were things to tell Devon about, things I would eventually have to tell anyone I seriously considered dating, but I didn’t want to drag us any further down than we already were. “I went to college for elementary education, married my college boyfriend soon after we graduated, started life together, realized life wasn’t always the fairy tale you were told to expect, then moved here as soon as the divorce was final.”
“Wow.” He sounded surprised.
“Wow?”
“I mean…,” he started, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “You’re so young. That’s a lot to go through at your age.”
“You’re too young to be a widower.”
“That’s the truth.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be rude.”
“No, no, you’re not. I’m sorry. You just look so young and I thought…. Wait, how old are you?”
“I’m twenty-seven. Old enough to be married and divorced. Actually,
“I just can’t imagine,” I said, pulling away and wiping under my eyes. “I’m sorry, I just remember you that night outside the school, and how upset you were.”
“Yeah,” he said, half groaning. “That was a dumb idea. I should never have gone that night.” I nodded, agreeing. “But,” he said as he dipped down, making himself eye level with me, “we might not have ever met if I didn’t.”
The intensity of his eyes made a ball of warmth form inside me, and I couldn’t help but blush. He stood and we started walking around the pond again.
“Do you believe in fate?” he asked, his voice softer and almost wistful.
I thought about my life, of all the circumstances that had brought me to where I was in that particular moment, and the idea that it had all been predetermined was pretty depressing. I wanted it to be random, to not have to think about walking along a path that was so broken and jagged without any hope of maybe finding an alternate route.
“I don’t know,” I answered as honestly as I could.
“Believing that Olivia and I met for a reason, and that there’s a purpose past her death, is the only thing that got me through it. I had to believe that there was more waiting for me and Ruby and Jax.”
“That makes sense.”
We were quiet for a few more minutes and my mind was reeling, taking in all the information he’d given me. We came upon a bench, situated to face the pond, and he motioned toward it. “Shall we?”
“Sure,” I said with a slight smile, taking a seat on the bench. He sat next to me and I let out a breath.
“I’m sorry I dumped all that on you,” he said, making me turn to look at him. “I learned a while ago that honesty is the best policy. There’s more I want to tell you, but I don’t think it needs to be said tonight.”
I blinked at his candid words, wondering why the idea of a dishonest man was always the go-to, when obviously there were men in the world who viewed the truth as a necessity instead of an agenda.
“We’ll have time for everything important,” I whispered, still looking in his eyes.
“I hope so,” he said, just as quietly. We sat on the bench for a while; the only thing heard was the splashing of the water and the rhythmic sounds of frogs croaking. The sun had set since we’d arrived, but the air was still warm and comfortable. Eventually, Devon spoke again.
“So, I’ve spilled all my beans for the evening. How about you?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you,” he said, smiling again. Moonlight lit his face, making him all the more handsome. “What’s your story? I didn’t get much information out of you at Disney World.”
“Not a lot to tell,” I said, hoping he believed me. There were things to tell Devon about, things I would eventually have to tell anyone I seriously considered dating, but I didn’t want to drag us any further down than we already were. “I went to college for elementary education, married my college boyfriend soon after we graduated, started life together, realized life wasn’t always the fairy tale you were told to expect, then moved here as soon as the divorce was final.”
“Wow.” He sounded surprised.
“Wow?”
“I mean…,” he started, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “You’re so young. That’s a lot to go through at your age.”
“You’re too young to be a widower.”
“That’s the truth.”
“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be rude.”
“No, no, you’re not. I’m sorry. You just look so young and I thought…. Wait, how old are you?”
“I’m twenty-seven. Old enough to be married and divorced. Actually,
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