Grace took a deep breath, and her next words fogged the window. Her warm fingers slid around his wrist. "We can be together now, while we're still young enough to have the life we dreamed about."
His heart froze in a potent combination of fear and hope. Only twenty-one, he felt more than twice his age. But she brought him to life. He sat still, buzzing with powerful emotions for the first time since returning to the States. Common sense tempered the urge to give in to her pleas.
When glanced at her, his heart strained at the tears glistening on her eyelashes. Her voice trembled when she asked, "Do you still have it?"
"Have what?" he snorted, and pretended not to know what she was talking about.
The silence thickened while they sat side by side, yet miles apart. Her shaky breath broke the moment. "The brooch, the one my grandmother gave me. Do you still have it?"
Aidan's throat tightened around his answer. Of course he still had it. On her wedding day, he'd pinned it on the high collar of her dress, and forced himself to watch the woman he loved marry his best friend.
Afterward, when no one was looking, she'd slipped the brooch back into his hand after the ceremony had ended.
Was that why she'd come? Did she need that trinket to sell? Was that what this was all about?
"Aidan?"
His knuckles turned white as he choked the steering wheel. The confession tore from his throat. "Yes, I still have it."
This time, he welcomed her touch, the gentle stroke of her hand over his. She inched closer, and he reached for her, slipping his hand around the back of her neck to draw her toward him. Her head rested on his shoulder, the scent of lavender and rosewater making his senses spin.
Before he could stop himself, he tilted her head back and kissed her soft, willing mouth. Her fingers trailed up his shirtfront, over his collar and into his hair. She tasted like peppermint and gin, and all the familiar memories he thought he'd left on the battlefield. He pulled back. "Gracie..."
"Don't talk, Preacher," she warned, laying her finger across his lips. With eyes wide, she smiled. "Do you remember?"
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