Chapter 72

“I wish I’d listened to myself about not agreeing to marry you at that time. It would have saved me a lot of hurt and embarrassment.”

Chase raised his brows. He gave her an on-off smile and turned away to shove his feet back into his shoes before he reached for a T-shirt and hauled it over his head. “I’m going up on the bridge to check on things. I’ll leave you to rest or whatever. We’ll have some supper once I secure us for the night in a sheltered cove not far away from here.”

Amaya’s shoulders sagged when the door clicked shut on his exit. She was being silly. What did it matter if he didn’t love her? Refused point blank ever to fall in love with her? They could still have a satisfying relationship. Far more satisfying than any relationship she’d had before. Sure, it wasn’t the fairy-tale relationship she secretly yearned for, but how realistic were those yearnings anyway? She knew more than most about the sort of heartache that came from idealistic expectations in relationships. T