It wasn’t until they arrived at the home of the family hosting the pre-dance dinner that Lina considered the possibility Nick could be there, but to her great relief he wasn’t. As she mingled with parents she knew and met others, Lina was keenly aware of the attention Phil garnered from the opposite sex. He was handsome and fit, and women’s eyes were drawn to him. It had probably always been the case, only she hadn’t noticed. He had been hers and she’d never considered the possibility of him being with someone else. Now the situation was different. She experienced the same feelings of possessiveness towards him that gripped her at Logan’s lacrosse game, so when she felt the warmth of his hand stroking her lower back or sliding down her arm as they conversed with other couples, instead of distancing herself from him, she found herself leaning into his touch.

“Dinner?” Phil asked as soon as they were in the car.

“Yes.”

He took her to a small Italian restaurant in Baltimore. “I have something to say,” Phil said after they shared a companionable silence through the first course. “This doesn’t require a response. I just want you to ponder my words.” He waited for her to meet his eyes before continuing. “Have you ever considered the possibility that a flawed version of me is better for you than a perfect version of anyone else?”

“Phil—”

“No.” He covered her hand with his. If there was any doubt as to whether he noticed she was wearing his ring, it ended as his thumb slid over it. “Just think about it. And think about who you want to swim naked with when you’re old and wrinkled. Do you remember?”

“Of course,” she whispered, her heart aching as she stared into his beautiful eyes. “We were so innocent. I didn’t think anything bad could ever happen, and then, less than two weeks later—”

“Don’t.” He squeezed her hand. “Let’s not go there. That wasn’t my point. My point is that I believe I’m still the man you’re supposed to grow old with.”

Lina wanted to turn back the clock, to erase the last two years so she could do them differently. “How did we get here?”

“I betrayed you.” He lowered his eyes to their clasped hands, drawing in a deep breath before raising his tear-filled eyes to hers. “And I will regret it every day for the rest of my life. But it doesn’t have to be the end for us.”

“Phil…” She wanted to comfort him, to say something to take away his pain. “I should have noticed you were unhappy—”

“No,” he interrupted, shaking his head, the side of his jaw clenching and unclenching. “This was all me, Lina. I put us here.” His fingers tightened around hers. “I am one hundred percent responsible. I broke my vows to you.”