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Catching her gaze in the
mirror, he noticed tears in her eyes and turned to her. “What's this?” He
brushed at a tear before it could mar her eye makeup.
    She shrugged.
    “Paige?”
    “I can't stop thinking about what you
said before. Did you mean it?”
    “I've been having some worries lately. I
won't deny that.”
    “About us?”
    He nodded.
    “And you wait until the day of our engagement
party to mention them to me?”
    “Actually, I tried to mention them last
night,” he reminded her.
    She clutched her stomach. “I think I'm
going to be sick.”
    “Paige! Michael! Are you coming? We need
to go,” Eleanor called from downstairs.
    “Just a minute,” Michael replied before
he turned back to Paige. “Let's enjoy the party. There'll be time to talk
later.” He held out a hand to her.
    “Do you still love me, Michael?” Her
blue eyes glis-tened with new tears as she held her breath and waited for his
reply.
    Leaning in to kiss her, he suddenly
thought of Juliana and her soft, captivating brown eyes. Unsettled, he said, “Of
course I do. Come on, your parents are waiting for us.”

 
    CHAPTER 6

    AFTER THEIR EMOTIONAL DISCUSSION ON THE
BEACH, Jeremy devoted himself to showing the reluctant Juliana a good time.
They drove south along A1A to Saint Augustine where they walked through the
Spanish Quarter. He tugged her over to look at rings in a jewelry store window.
    “If you could have any one of them,
which one would you choose?” he asked with a playful smile.
    She pulled her hand free. “Don't, Jer.”
    “Come on.” He brought her back. “Just
look.”
    The diamonds glittered in the late afternoon
sun. Only yesterday this discussion would have made Juliana's heart dance with
excitement, but now she just felt dead inside.
    “Which one do you like? How about the
square one? That's cool, isn't it?”
    She shrugged. “I guess.”
    “Let's go in so you can try it on.”
    “No.”
    “Jule—”
    “I said no ”
    “Is there anything I can do?” he pleaded. “I want to take back everything I
said this morning. I want to go back to where we were before.”
    “You can't take it back, and you
shouldn't have to. You were honest about how you feel.”
    “Then tell me how you feel,” he said with quiet desperation.
    She looked straight into his eyes. “I
hurt,” she whis-pered. “Everywhere.”
    “I'm sorry.” He took a sudden interest
in his feet. “I love you so much. That I could've hurt you like this kills me.”
    “Can we go back to the hotel? I don't
want to be here.”
    “Sure.” He put his arm around her and
led her to the car.
    Back in their room, Juliana still didn't
feel up to talking, so she decided to take a nap.
    “Do you mind if I go for a run on the
beach?”
    “No, that's fine.”
    After he left, Juliana stretched out on
the big bed and turned so she could see the ocean. Would the sound of waves
crashing on the beach always remind her now of Jeremy telling her he wanted
other women? She ached when she thought about life without him—a life that
revolved around her mother, her job, and her endless responsibilities. But how
could she stay with him knowing what she did?
    Losing him would be like severing a
limb, only more painful. For so long he had been her refuge, her sanc-tuary,
her place of peace in the storm of her life. She closed her eyes and must have
dozed off because she awoke with a start when Jeremy returned from running.
    “Babe,” he whispered. “Are you sleeping?”
    Juliana kept her eyes closed so he would
think she was asleep. She couldn't deal with any more just then. When she
didn't answer him, he went into the bathroom to shower. At home he
sang—badly—in the shower, but here he was quiet.
    He came out a short time later and
squatted down next to her, brushing the hair off her face and kissing her
forehead. A few minutes later, he stood up.
    Juliana opened her eyes. He had a towel
around his waist and was slumped against the big