I blew out a breath as I turned the page. There was nothing else, no other entries. Melanie had died a short time later.
"She had no idea what she was about to face," I said to Drake.
He gave me a deeply pained look. "It feels almost worse to know that."
"She had so much hope for the future, not just with Gage, but for every other part of her life."
Silence fell between us as we processed what we'd just read.
And then I added, "I understand better now why Dillon thought that Gage was at the house. Melanie told him she was going to see Gage. If Dillon read the diary, he would have thought that both Gage and his mother were there."
"Dillon told the sheriff what he thought happened, and the sheriff covered it up," Drake said. "Tom shut down the investigation as quickly as he could. He tried to point my family toward a stranger abduction. And then he tried to blame my dad." He shook his head, his lips tightening with anger. "I'm glad Tom is dead, Willow. There's a part of me that wishes Eileen was dead, too, but you were right. She will suffer more this way."
"She will." I blew out a breath. "I don't know that I'll ever get past the pain of losing Melanie, but from here on out, I just want to remember the good times we had. She loved me, and I loved her. And she loved you, Drake, and you loved her. That's what we have to hold on to."
He gave a tight nod. "I'm going to try. Melanie made some good points in her diary," he added, a gleam in his gaze. "About us."
"Is there an us?" I asked warily.
He looked deep into my eyes. "I want there to be, Willow. I know I hurt you. Do you think you can ever forgive me?"
"Well, you saved my life. That's a good start."
He shook his head. "I don't want that to be the reason you forgive me."
"It's a good reason."
"Not good enough. You'd be forgiving me out of gratitude, and I don't want your gratitude."
"What do you want? It's a question you keep asking me. Maybe it's your turn to answer, Drake."
"I want what I was too scared to say ten years ago. I want you in my life."
My heart skipped a beat. "Really? Are you sure you're not saying that because…well, this is a really emotional moment we're having?"
"It is emotional, but that's not why I'm saying it. I care about you, Willow. I messed it up ten years ago. I messed it up this week. I'd like a chance to get it right. But that depends on you, on what you want."
I thought about his words, about all that had happened between us. But there wasn't a decision to be made. I knew what was in my heart. "I'd like to see what could happen once we get off this damn island."
A smile lifted his lips. "Where do you want to go? Seattle? San Francisco? Some place new? I'm up for anything. For the first time in ten years, I feel free."
"Me, too. Melanie wrote so much about the future, about seeing the world, living our lives. I haven't been living like that, and I don't think you have, either. So, let's change it. Let's take a risk on us."
His smile broadened. "I'm in."
"Good. And for the record, I don't hate the island anymore." I looked out at the sea. "It wasn't the island that was evil, it was just one person, well, maybe two. But Eileen and Tom can't hurt anyone ever again." I held out the diary. "You should keep this."
He made no effort to take the book. Instead, he jumped up and pulled me to my feet. "I have a better idea."
"What?"
He led me to the edge of the ocean. "Melanie loved the sea. And that's where she ended up. I think the diary belongs with her."
"What about your book?"
"I don't need her diary to write about her. Everything we read today, you and I lived through with her. We know her story. We know her heart."
"Yes, we do. For a long time, I kept her out of my head, but I can see her face clearly now, her wide-open smile, her eyes gleaming with excitement, anticipation. I can hear her lilting laugh. I can even hear her complaining, telling me to hurry up, so we could do something else."
"I can see her again, too. I feel like she's right here with us."
I wished she really was here with us, but I was happy to let her back into my head and into my heart. I no longer felt numb or dead inside. I was alive, ready to do what she'd always wanted to do—find the next great adventure. I gripped the book in my hand, then I brought it to my mouth and gave it a kiss. "I'll love you forever, Melanie. You always made me better than I was. And now I'm going to do what you said—get out of my own way." I looked at Drake. "With your brother."
He grinned. Then he kicked off his shoes, and I kicked off mine. We walked into the water. The current was tugging at my knees when I threw the diary as far as I could. At first, it seemed to come back to me, and then the current caught it and swept it out to sea.
Drake put his arm around me, and we stood there in the freezing water for a good fifteen minutes, until we couldn't see the diary anymore. Then we turned to each other.
"No more looking back," he said.
"Only forward."
"Give me a kiss, shy girl."
"I hated when you called me that," I said with a smile.
He grinned. "I think I can find a way to make you love it."
"Fingers crossed." Melanie's laugh rang through my head as I let go of the past and grabbed onto the future.
# # #
What to read next…
* * *
A woman wakes in a hospital bed with no idea of who she is. Her memory is gone, her baby missing. All she has is the gripping certainty that she is in mortal danger. Then a handsome, angry stranger barges in and makes a terrible accusation. He was her lover--and her child's father--until she disappeared seven months ago.
* * *
Haunted by troubling flashes of memory, Sarah begins to realize she's lived a life of lies. What is the truth? And where is her baby?
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About the Author
Barbara Freethy is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of 71 novels ranging from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women's fiction. With over 13 million copies sold, twenty-five of Barbara’s books have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists, including SUMMER SECRETS which hit #1 on the New York Times!
Known for her emotional and compelling stories of love, family, mystery and romance, Barbara enjoys writing about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary adventures.
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