“I was in love with you. I want to be clear about that. I meant every word I said when I proposed. But before you, there was someone else.”

“I didn’t think you came to me an emotional virgin.”

“A few years before, I’d met and fallen for a woman named Iona. It was one of those things. A lightning strike. Love at first sight. Whatever you want to call it. I saw her and I knew she was the one and I would be spending the rest of my life with her.”

Hmm, not the direction Reggie had wanted the story to go. She told herself to just listen and not judge—that whatever had happened before she and Jake got together wasn’t her business.

“I didn’t tell her any of that,” he continued. “Not for a while. She was like a drug. I couldn’t get enough of her.”

Reggie resisted the urge to tell him to get to the idiot part because she had a feeling she would like that bit of the story a whole lot more.

“I was just about to propose when she dumped me. She’d fallen out of love with me and wanted to move on with her life. I was devastated and crushed and every other breakup feeling. I couldn’t believe it. Living without her was like going from a world filled with color to one that was black and white.” His expression turned sheepish. “Or so I thought at the time.”

“It’s a little dramatic.”

“Yeah, that’s how it felt. It took me a long time to get over her. I was starting to question whether I would ever be interested in another woman when I ran into you.”

“Literally.”

“Yes. You smiled at me and I felt something I hadn’t in a while. I realized I was over her and ready to give my heart again.”

That made Reggie feel marginally better. At least she could know his feelings for her had been real.

“One thing led to another,” he said. “We fell in love and I could see myself spending the rest of my life with you. We got engaged. Then, Sunday morning, Iona showed up.”

Reggie nearly sprang to her feet. “Here? In town?”

“On my doorstep. She told me she’d made a horrible mistake and that she still loved me. She begged for another chance.”

“Which you gave her.”

“No.” He looked at her. “I told her we were done and she left. But after she was gone, I couldn’t stop thinking about her, which made me question a lot of things about myself. Not knowing what to do, I broke up with you, then went away to clear my head. It was a rookie move, and I apologize for that. And for not explaining what had happened. I see now if I had, we might have worked it out. We should have at least talked.”