John’s throat closed over the words he tried to say. He took a deep breath and tried again. “I thought you turned me away because you’d seen the situation in the metaphorical morning light and decided that you didn’t really want me.”

“I know you thought that,” she said, turning back to him, though her eyes stayed cast down. “But by the time I’d put the pieces together, you’d already left. We really misunderstood each other.”

“Misunderstanding doesn’t begin to cover it.” He impulsively reached forward and took her hand. It was the same hand that had had the imprint of a house key across her palm last night. It was the hand that had borne the evidence of how much she’d wanted him.

How could he have let that get lost in the mud of his own insecurities? How many times had he told himself that money wasn’t everything? And then, at the first sign of choppy water, he’d assumed that she’d changed her mind about dating a working-class public servant. He’d made the situation about money. Not Mary.

He quickly kissed her palm and then placed it flat against his beating heart, knowing that she liked to feel his heartbeat. “Mary, do you know what Richie told me about you the other day?”

She shook her head, her eyes still down.

“He told me that I look at you like all the light in the world originates from inside you.”

Her eyes flashed up to meet his.

“And he’s right,” John continued. “What he said made instant sense to me because that’s actually how I feel. To me, Mary, you’re radiant.” He touched her hair with his free hand. “You’re sunny and bright. But it’s not just your hair or your coloring. It’s your mood that shines through.”

Her eyes fell again. “I know I’m a happy-go-lucky type of person, but I’m not always upbeat. There are times that I’m seriously down.”

“I know that. I’ve seen some of them. You know what I thought the first time I saw you cry? That it was like water caught in sunlight. It’s not about whether or not you’re happy, Mary. You always glow with this internal light. You can’t help it. It’s your spirit. Your determination, your kind heart. The laughing, the smiling, it adds to it, but it doesn’t define it. I can’t define it either, really. Shit.”

He turned his head away to gather his thoughts, and when he looked back, Mary was staring right at him, obviously trying to figure out if she believed what he was saying or not.