Avoiding having that conversation wasn’t going to give them closure.

After dinner, the deejay played Emma and Luke’s song. He liked seeing his good friend dance with his wife.

Luke’s wife. God, his best friend was married now. A lot of his friends were getting married and starting families. At thirty and with a well-established career, that was something Carter should be thinking about doing. He’d bought a nice big house with four bedrooms, but he had no one to share it with. He dated a lot. He’d even had a serious relationship or two over the years. But he hadn’t managed to pull the trigger yet. He was waiting for that one woman to gut-punch him and then he’d just . . . know.

Watching as Molly sat and laughed at something Chelsea said, he felt that punch in his gut. Her hair was pulled up in some kind of fancy something or other. It was pretty, with pieces of hair framing her face and making her blue eyes stand out even more tonight. Maybe it was the purple dress that hugged her curves, or maybe it was just that she’d always gut-punched him.

No. Just no. She wasn’t the one for him. They’d established that a long time ago, and she was hightailing it out of Hope as soon as she could. Then he could go back to doing what he did, and she could do . . . whatever it was she did.

That’s why they both needed closure. So they could move on, and he could find that someone to have his forever with. And maybe, so could Molly.

Chapter 6

AVOIDANCE. MOLLY WAS doing a fine job of avoiding being anywhere near Carter, which so far was working well. She had stood by and watched Emma and Luke perform their first dance, and done her obligatory dance with Logan as part of the bridal party before blending into the crowd. Fortunately, Logan was more than happy to go off with Des, and she was free to mingle. Or hide.

She hung out with her parents, happy to spend as much time with them as she could since she’d be leaving the day after tomorrow. Plus, her mom had an intense new project going on and she wanted to hear details about it.

“It’s so exciting, Molly,” her mom said as they grabbed a spot at the table. “I’m spearheading the revitalization of the Hope town square project, including the fountain.”

“Really? Is this something your marketing firm is doing?”

Her mom shook her head. “No. It’s a personal project, a labor of love and something I’m very committed to. You know how much we all enjoyed the fountain, how much fun we all used to have in the town square when you and Emma were little.”

Molly couldn’t help but be captured by her mother’s enthusiasm. “Of course. I played in that fountain when I was a kid. I used to love the flying dolphin sculpture. I miss seeing it.”

“We all loved it. But that poor dolphin rusted and had to be taken down. That’s part of the process, to have another one commissioned. Even the fountain’s been closed for years. The revitalization project has been working to reopen it. Bigger and better, so that future generations will be able to enjoy it. It’s required the help and generosity of many of the citizens of Hope. We still have a ways to go, but you know me. I’m relentless, and I’ve been pushing everyone to get involved.”

She could see her mother bullying businesses to give money or offer services in order to get this done. “I’m so thrilled you’re deeply involved in this, Mom.”

“We have an end date in sight, and construction is already underway. Now that we have momentum going, we can’t back down. I have to stay on top of everyone, otherwise the project will fizzle and die. I’ve worked so hard on this, I just want to see it finished.”

Molly laid her hand on her mom’s. “If anyone can do it, you can.” Her mother was a dynamo of energy, and once she got hold of a project, nothing got in her way. That’s what had made her so successful in business all these years. She had no doubt her mother would see that project through.

“I hate to disturb the two of you,” her father said, holding out his hand toward Molly’s mother. “But if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to dance with this beautiful lady.”

Molly grinned, and her mom smiled.

“You don’t mind, do you?” her mom asked.

“Not in the least. You two go ahead.”

Her mom stood, and took her father’s hand. They walked off toward the dance floor, and Molly felt butterflies in her stomach as her father pulled her mother into his arms.

Now there was a forever love. Just like her sister and Luke, who sidled up next to her parents, the two couples whispering and laughing.

It made her ache. Not with jealousy, but with a longing that was almost painful. Logan held Des close, Jane was up there with her husband, Will. Even Chelsea was out there with Bash, the two of them laughing together.

She’d never felt more alone.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. “How about we go out there and dance with everyone else?”

Carter. She lifted her gaze to his. “No, thanks. I’m fine sitting this one out.”

He grasped her hand and pulled her up. Short of jerking her hand away from his and causing a scene, there wasn’t much she could do. “We’ll be polite to each other. Smile. Dance like old friends.”

The problem was, they weren’t old friends, and holding his hand seemed all too . . . familiar. They’d held hands all through high school. They’d done a lot more than that. And as they stepped onto the dance floor and he put his arm around her waist, tugging her close, the years suddenly fell away.

It was the sophomore dance. She’d been a freshman, and she’d had a ridiculous crush on Carter since day one of high school. They’d definitely noticed each other, and when he’d asked her to the dance, it was as if all her dreams had come true.

He’d kissed her for the first time after the dance, and they were inseparable after that.

Now, as she looked into the sea green of his eyes, she remembered every reason she’d fallen in love with him. The scar above his right eyebrow that he’d gotten playing baseball, the way he always held her gaze when they were close, the feel of his body moving against hers. They’d always fit so perfectly together. And when the deejay switched songs, they both stilled.

It was their song. She knew every word. Carter had even sung it to her—off-key—when they were entwined together in his bed above the garage of his parent’s house, after they’d made love.