“Natural. Better than I thought it would,” he says, “I should be thanking you. No more missing out on beautiful opportunities. Pianos should be played, right?”

“Right.” I snuggle against his arm, and he gently kisses my forehead.

“There’s one more song I want to play for you tonight if that’s okay.”

I inhale sharply—he’s going to play the piano? “Time to shift bad memories into better ones?”

“For both of us,” he says, his right hand drifting to my leg and squeezing lightly.

The cool night air hits me sharply at his house when I exit The Beast, forcing me into my sweater. Tall, Longleaf Pines wave in the breeze overhead, and Carolina barn owls hoot in the distance. It’s darker than I’m used to here, where streetlights don’t reach. It feels so beautifully peaceful.

He leads me into a dimly lit and quiet house.

“Where are the dogs?”

He grins wryly. “Marigold is dog-sitting at the farm. All night.”

A laugh rumbles from me. “My sexy boyfriend, the strategist.”

He leans in for a soft kiss that electrifies me. “I only wanted to think about us. Make yourself at home.”

I kick off my shoes by the door and drop my bag on the couch. He dumps his keys and wallet in a basket by the door. He starts a fire in the fireplace that crackles and pops and mesmerizes me. After a few sips of wine, we relinquish our glasses to the coffee table. Then, he takes my hand and leads me to the piano.

40. Grady

CHAPTER FORTY

Grady

She eases beside me on the piano bench—two beauties I’ve denied myself together in the same place. She slips one hand behind me and flashes her sweet smile that encourages me to go on. With a deep breath, I close my eyes and think of Sara, for once letting the memories come, knowing it’s time to let them go. Trading what could’ve been for what is makes room for the beautiful future that still could be.

That’s what I want—a future with Marina.

When I finally lift the key lid, it’s like releasing my paper boat and everything that should’ve made the page.

I don’t sing, preferring quiet. I stroke the keys softly, and Norah Jones’s “Come Away With Me” comes to life under my fingertips. I’m rusty and nervous at first. Tears blur my vision, thinking of times I played this piano. Memories slip through me onto the ivory keys and fade behind the slow, soulful notes, easing my guilt away with them.

I breathe. Straighten my back. And the song emerges like a gift, assuring me that it’s okay to move on. To smile. To play.