CHAPTER 72

“Peyton, I don’t understand why you’re asking me these questions. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want those things. They’re the reason I came back. They’re the reason I want you back.”

“But what if I don’t want those things anymore?” she asked quietly.

“What? Of course, you do. I know you, Peyton. You live for this stuff. You have been telling me for two years how much you are looking forward to our life together.”

“You know, I’ve done a bit of soul-searching since you’ve been gone,” she said. “And I’ve come to realize that maybe I don’t want those things after all. I thought I wanted them, but it turns out, not so much. I liked the idea of being married to you. I liked the idea of being Mrs. Dale Hawthorn. But do you know what I’ve learned? I learned that I had this idea in my head of how my life was supposed to look, but it wasn’t really what I wanted. I thought it was what I should want. I thought it was what a woman like me should aspire to. But I realize now that t