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her that much, he had argued. All Angie had cared about was the desperate need to escape Groves Point, and the Canfields. “Yes, I took the money and left.” She offered no excuses. None were needed.
    “So much for trust and vows spoken before God.”
    This wasn’t a time for accusations, but for understanding and forgiving. In her anger she lashed back at him with a vengeance. “I notice it didn’t take you long to seek solace.” Her nervesfelt threadbare. “How many women warmed your blood before you married Carol?”
    Simon raked his fingers through his dark hair. “Three years, Angie. For three years I waited for you to come back.” His mouth was pinched; tight.
    He’d waited for her to return. Shock waves rippled over her as her eyes widened. “Even when I’d taken the money, you waited?” She stared up at him. “Oh Simon …”
    He came toward her and paused uncertainly. If he touched her, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let her go again. Myriad emotions raged through him like a wildfire on a sun-scorched field. Anger. Surprise. Regret. But paramount was a burning sense of betrayal by the ones he loved and trusted most.
    Impulsively, Angie raised her hand and reached out, lightly touching his forearm. Moisture shimmered in her eyes as she raised her gaze to him.
    He caught her hand and gripped it as though it were a lifeline to sanity. “Angie, how could we have let this happen to us?”
    “I don’t know,” she whispered, her voice wavering and unsteady. “It was all so long ago.”
    “I could kill them.”
    “No, no, don’t even think such a thing.” Vaulting to her feet, she forcefully shook her head. “There’s been enough hate and misunderstanding. Your parents did what they thought was best for you.”
    The pinched look about his mouth didn’t relax. “They had no right—”
    “No, they didn’t,” she agreed. “But who’s to say what the future held for us? We were both incredibly young—”
    “And stupid,” Simon inserted. “But it doesn’t change what they did.”
    The cold ruthlessness was back in Simon. At seventeen she’d never seen that side of him. Their world had been filled with high ideals and warm promises. Who could have said that their love would last less than a year?
    “I’m leaving in the morning,” she said softly, her hand reaching for his and clasping it tightly. “And when I do I want to look back on these past few days as a time of healing. I came back to Groves Point to make my peace, not to stir up grief. I bear no one malice, least of all your family. We need to forgive your parents and my dad. But most of all, we need to forgive each other.”
    Simon expelled an angry breath as his gaze narrowed on her upturned face. “I don’t know that I can,” he ground out. Without warning, he brought her into the tight circle of his arms.
    Having Simon hold her like this was like returning safely home after fighting a twelve-year battle. With her ear pressed against his chest, she heard the steady drumbeat of his heart. He released a sigh of contentment and she felt him rub his unshaved chin across the crown of her head. They had shared the most beautiful part of their youth together. Simon would always be someone special in her life, but the love they shared was over. She was free now. Free to return to Charleston and Glenn. Free to love.
    A surge of happiness brought an excited bubble of laughter from her throat. “I’m so relieved.”
    “I don’t know what I feel,” he confessed, in a strained voice. All the emotions remained, most of which he would need to deal with privately. But Angie was here, in his arms, and he had to find a way to keep her there. “Angie.” He murmured her name as he loosened his grip. A hand on each of her shoulders pushed her gently back so he could study her. She was beautiful. Even the tears that streaked her face couldn’t mar the natural beauty of her perfect features. The lovely mouth drew his attention,