Selective/Memory: The "Depth of Emotion" Book 2 (The Depth of Emotion) Read Online Free PDF Page A

became firm.
    “I know what I’m doing, Jeannie. A year from now, you’ll thank me for this.”
    “No. I won’t.” She was the one who was firm now. “You think I don’t know what you’re doing, but I know far too well how your mind’s working right now.”
    “I don’t think you do, Jeannie. I love your daughter enough to make her hate me. Do you think this is easy for me? Don’t you think she deserves better than a cripple?” He raised himself to fight back should she disagree.
    “I think my daughter deserves to have whatever she wants, and I think she deserves the right to decide what that is. God knows why, especially after the way you’ve treated her, but she still wants you! You think that pushing her away is showing your love for her? You forget, Declan, that I’ve been through this scenario before. My husband thought that if he pushed me away, that I’d hurt less when he was hurting. He was wrong, and so are you!”
    She paced the floor.
    “Jeannie, Aria doesn’t know what’s good for he—”
    “Stop! Stop it right now!”
    The emotion was making its way through the vocal chords that she was straining to keep in check.
    Taking a deep breath, Jeannie stared straight into Declan’s eyes and gave him a piece of her mind.
    “Pushing her away is NOT loving her. Pushing her away is you not having the courage to let love get you BOTH through this,” she said.
    Retrieving her purse from the chair, Jeannie prepared to leave. Before she walked through the door, she spoke more calmly and walked over to the bed.
    Declan strained to keep his emotions in check, and Jeannie could see how that effort cost him.
    Knowing that she couldn’t turn off her affection for him, she bent down and kissed his head. His eyes filled with tears as she held him close to her.
    “I learned to love you through my daughter, Declan, and I love you for the man that you are. What you and Aria share is something special. This has been a horrible tragedy, but bad things will come up all through your life. What you need to decide is if you’ll allow them to pull you together to fight through them, or pull you apart to fight against each other.”
    Turning to leave, she felt Declan grip her hand. She looked at him, but he had no words.
    Jeannie shook her head in sadness. “She loves you, Declan…and you love her. When the time’s right, you may need to fight very hard to get her back. I only hope that it won’t be too late—for you both…”
     
    Aria helped Jeannie to find a house that suited her needs, and a locale where she could open her own flower shop. An added source of income was that she also sold the homemade fudge that was her mother’s recipe. She and Aria made a lot of fudge when she was staying at Aria’s or when she’d visit her. All of her friends that would come over to the house loved it and said she should sell it. From there, an idea was born. What girl doesn’t love flowers and chocolate?
    So when the store was named, Jeannie called it Sandy Ann’s ~ Flowers & Fudge . The name was for two of her favorite friends and confidantes, and it fit with a beach theme. It became a local hit in no time, and with Paige’s contacts in real estate, as well as Aimee and Katherine’s business contacts, Jeannie set up a nice supply of reputable accounts. Many purposes had been served. She was close to her daughter, she was independent…
     
    …and she could also keep a watchful eye on both Aria and Declan…

 
     
    Sight is beguiling and deceptive. For just a brief moment, Declan hoped that fakery was what his eyes were practicing as he saw her image. Unfortunately for his heart, his sight was quite reliable. As he exited a restaurant, he saw Aria leaving a yoga studio. She didn’t see him; she was engaged in conversation with another woman. It had been a while since he’d run into her. Each time he saw her was harder than the time before.
    How’s it possible that she’s more beautiful than I remember?
    She