He grabbed my face and kissed me a little softer than just seconds earlier. Dragging his lips across my face, dotting it with kisses, he whispered in my ear, “Your husband can thank me.”

Those words stopped my heart. The warm blood in my veins ran cold, sending an icy jolt along my spine.

Fisher lifted my hips and positioned me over him, pushing into me an inch, maybe not even.

Tears filled my eyes as I stilled, not letting him move my hips any farther. And I saw it in his eyes.

The pain.

The love.

The conflict.

More than anything, I saw all the reasons I fell for Fisher Mann. He knew we weren’t at the right place to make us work, but he was willing to give me the one thing I thought I wanted. He wanted to give me all he had to give, even though he knew it wouldn’t be enough.

My hands pressed to his face as tears covered my cheeks, the saltiness pooling at my lips. “Thank you, Fisher.”

I eased off his lap.

He said nothing. There wasn’t anything to say.

After I dressed, I lifted my teary gaze to him. “I’m volunteering to go on a mission trip to Thailand for six months. And then …” I lifted one shoulder, drawing in a shaky breath that elicited more tears. “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out. I’ll figure me out.” Turning, I took several steps and turned, giving him a sad smile. “There’s more to life than crossword puzzles, right?”

His jaw stiffened as he swallowed hard and nodded, his eyes a little red. “I hope so.”

To be continued …

The Lost Fisherman

Read the conclusion to Reese and Fisher’s story in The Lost Fisherman.

Read Today

Also by Jewel E. Ann

Standalone Novels

Idle Bloom

Undeniably You

Naked Love

Only Trick

Perfectly Adequate

Look The Part

When Life Happened

A Place Without You

Jersey Six

Scarlet Stone

Not What I Expected

For Lucy

* * *

The Fisherman Series

The Naked Fisherman

The Lost Fisherman

Jack & Jill Series

End of Day

Middle of Knight

Dawn of Forever

One (standalone)

Out of Love (standalone)

Holding You Series

Holding You

Releasing Me

Transcend Series

Transcend

Epoch

Fortuity (standalone)

The Life Series

The Life That Mattered

The Life You Stole

About the Author

Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.

With 10 years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.

After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.