Greg was in my thoughts as well. He’d served our country in a way I’d always wanted to, and now the poor guy was presumed dead. Lucy’s chest must have felt like an elephant had been sitting on it for years with the amount of guilt she’d been carrying around. I needed to lift that weight off her in some way.

“Hey!”

I turned to see Gretchen walking toward me, and I frowned. “I told you I’d be right in.”

“Don’t snap at me.” She came up to me and rested her back against the railing, her elbow brushing mine.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. Did you tell Lucy I’d be back soon?” I glanced behind her, but all I saw was wooden planks dimly lit by the dock lights.

“No, I didn’t, because she isn’t there.” Sadness washed over her face.

“What do you mean?”

“She left. Mom told me a cab came to pick her up.”

Frozen in place, I stared at Gretchen as I watched her lips move, thinking my ears didn’t hear her correctly.

“Mom said she seemed sad,” she said. “What happened?”

“FUCK!”

I took off running across the dock to get to the house. Gretchen’s feet pounded the wooden planks behind me, and she caught up with me at the front porch where the rest of my family stood waiting for us.

“Drake, honey.” My mom extended her hand.

“What did she say?”

I’d never seen my mom’s eyes so sad. She was normally such a cheerful person, and now she looked as unhappy as I felt.

“She’s fallen for you,” Mom said softly, and gave my hands a squeeze, “but she needed to give you space.”

My head bobbed in understanding. I glanced around at the rest of my family to find they all wore the same sympathetic expression as my mother.

Overwhelmed, I released my mom’s hands. “Please excuse me.”

I hurried upstairs, taking the steps two at a time, to see for myself whether her things were gone. Sure enough, they were. Lucy had left. How could she leave?

Then I saw it, a piece of paper on the bed. With trembling fingers, I picked it up and sat down to read what she wrote.

Dear Drake,

This isn’t a “Dear Drake” letter, even though that’s the way it started. I’m going home, but I’m only leaving because I want to give you space and time to digest everything I’ve told you.

I’d like to say I would’ve done things differently, but I don’t think I would have. Some people might say that I’ve been hiding from my past for the past ten years, and I guess on some levels that’s true. But in my mind and heart, Abigail is dead, and I never wanted to resurrect her.

I’m so ashamed of what I did, and for what I let my parents do to me. My only excuse is that I was young and afraid. All I can hope for is that in time you’ll understand.

When I first saw my picture in the paper, I was terrified, and when it happened again, I knew I needed to tell you. Your life is so public, I should have never started a relationship with you, but it was out of my hands. My heart wanted you when we met, and before long, my body and soul ached for you.

I won’t be calling, and not because I won’t want to but because I can’t. You need to be ready to accept everything that I’ve told you.

There’s one thing I haven’t told you, something I regret now that I hadn’t shared with you yet. I’ve fallen in love with you, and because of that, if you need me to, I’ll let you go.

Always,

Lucy

I must have read her letter at least five times, and my head spun with her words.

In love with me.

Let me go.

She ached for me.

This was an anomaly for me. In my profession and for the most of my adult life, I was the decision maker, the problem solver, the one people turned to. But now I was at a loss.

A soft knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts, and when I looked up, my mom walked in and sat on the bed next to me.

Sliding an arm around my back, she asked softly, “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

I hung my head. “I don’t know, Mom. Is it wrong that I’m thirty-five and still need advice from you?” I gave her a tight smile, and she kissed me on the temple just like she did when I was a little boy.

“Drake, honey, you could be sixty-five and you could still talk to me.” Her gaze shifted to the paper clutched in my hand. “Is that from Lucy?”

“Yes. Did she tell you everything?”

“She said she fell in love with you, and if I know my son, you fell for her too.”

“I did. I know it’s fast, but now I just don’t know.”

“You don’t know if you love her?”

The thought of not loving Lucy made my heart hurt. “No, I know I love her. She told me about her past tonight, and I don’t hold any of it against her. Lucy’s parents are so different from you and Dad. I wish I could tell you everything, but it isn’t my story to tell.”

My mom placed her hand on my arm. “She told me if you needed to tell me, you could.”

I shook my head. “I don’t even know where to start.” All I could think was poor Lucy.

“Please don’t think less of her.”

My parents were devout Catholics, and I wasn’t sure how my mom was going to take the news. I knew she’d be very upset about what Lucy’s parents put her through, but I was nervous just the same.

“Drake, I promise you I’m here to listen and to give you any advice that you may need, but all decisions will be yours. I won’t judge Lucy; I happen to adore that girl. From the first day I met her, I could tell she’d be someone special not only to you, but to me. She fits in with our family, and I can see she makes you happy.”

“Very happy,” I said with a small smile.

I took a deep breath and told my mom Lucy’s story, from what happened with Greg to her parents’ threats. Then I handed Mom the letter.

Mom’s face flickered with one expression after another as she read Lucy’s words. Then her eyes filled, and I knew exactly how Mom felt and that she truly didn’t cast judgment on Lucy.

“That poor girl. What I don’t understand is how this affects your job. This has nothing to do with you, regardless of her past. It’s hers, not yours.”

She handed me back the letter, and the paper felt like it weighed a ton in my hand.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with me, and I highly doubt my constituents would care, but my opponents will. They’ll expose her, which will mean her parents will find her, and she’s worked so hard to cut ties with her past so people won’t know what happened and judge her. There’s only one other person outside of this room that she’s confided in.” Glancing at her, I said, “Mom, I can’t be the one who will bring all of this to the surface and expose her. I just can’t do it.”

“Does that mean what I think it does?” She placed a hand on my forearm.

“If you think it means I’m going to pull out of the race, I’m thinking that’s my only option.” Frustrated, I closed my eyes and dropped my head back. “What other choice do I have?”

“You have the option of talking to her. Do you honestly think she’d want you to give up your dreams? Lucy feels as if she ruined her life, and that poor boy’s. How do you think she’ll feel if she believes she destroyed yours too?” My mom stood. “Please talk to her before you make any decisions.”

I shook my head. “If I talk to her, she’ll tell me not to drop out. That’s the type of unselfish person she is.”

“Son, follow your heart. You’re a wonderful politician who can do so much good for the world. Just be sure you do what will make you happy. If Lucy thinks she’s the reason you dropped out, that could hurt her too.” Resting a hand on my shoulder, she said, “You don’t need to make a decision right at this moment. Give yourself some time.”