He told her about the things he’d experienced and how he’d felt doing them. “But the thing is while I was in New York, it didn’t feel like home any longer.”

“It didn’t?”

He shook his head. “My home is here on the island. It’s where I choose to be.”

“What about your job?”

“Well, that’s the thing…I’m unemployed. At least until I get my own business started.”

Her eyes widened with excitement. “You’re going to do it? You’re going to start your own contracting business?”

He smiled and nodded.

She immediately leaned over and hugged him. “I’m so happy for you.” She pulled back. “How did your father take it?”

“I talked to him on the way back to the city. I tried to explain to him how much I enjoyed working with my hands and the sense of accomplishment I got from creating something new. I didn’t know for sure what I wanted at that point, and I have to say that he was shocked. He didn’t say much to me.”

“I’m sorry—”

“It’s okay. When my mother got home, she talked to him and in the end, we all had dinner. My father told me that he only wanted me to be happy. If starting my own business was what I wanted to do, he would respect my decision.”

“So things are okay with you two?”

“I think so. It might take me getting my business off the ground for my father to truly believe this was a good idea. But he’s trying to be supportive and that means a lot to me.”

Was this really happening?

Hannah could hardly believe that Ethan was sitting next to her. Her heart pitter-pattered. Now she needed to find out if he wanted the same thing as her.

Because she couldn’t put her heart on the line and have it rejected. As soon as the thought came to her, she realized that’s what she’d told herself before he’d left the first time. And she didn’t want to make the same mistakes. If she’d learned anything since meeting Ethan, it was to take chances because you only get one go around in this life.

“You want to live here permanently?” Her heart thumped louder. She wrung her hands together. “You aren’t moving here just because I’m here, are you?”

“Absolutely not.” He sent her a teasing grin. “Yes, you played a part in my decision. I needed time to sort out what I truly wanted for the future. And that’s the reason I didn’t call you while I was gone. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I could have called you too.” She’d picked up the phone many times before putting it down. “I…I thought you’d moved on and forgotten me.”

“Not a chance.” He took her hand in his and squeezed it. “I needed to know that I was making the right decision about my career.”

“And now you’re sure? You want to change your life?”