Sullivans 06 - Let Me Be the One

was just a teenager had nearly destroyed her.
    How could she even think about running from him now?
    Especially when his open arms were the only place she ever wanted to run to again—and he was oh so right about Anthony not deserving even one more second of her energy.
    A heartbeat later, his hands were in her hair and her mouth was under his as he kissed her so thoroughly, so passionately, that everything fell away but Ryan...and how much she loved him.
    When he finally let her go, she didn’t open her eyes right away, just let herself feel the hard, fast beat of his heart beneath her outstretched palms as she worked to catch her breath.
    “All those years that he and I were together, I ignored that little voice that told me something wasn’t quite right with our marriage. It was so much easier to listen to his voice and to everyone around me who said I’d be crazy not to want him. And he was so smooth, always had the perfect excuse for everything. I thought I could make him into the husband I needed. Over and over that last year we were together, I dreamed I was trying to carve marble with my fingers. I longed for tools to chip, to carve, to sand. But all I had were my hands, and they weren’t enough. I could give my entire life over to it and still wouldn’t have made even the slightest dent in the rock. The dreams stopped the night I left.”
    She opened her eyes back up and held Ryan’s gaze as she admitted, “I’m still learning to listen to that little voice.”
    “What is it telling you?”
    She went up on her tippy-toes to press a kiss to his mouth before whispering against his lips, “To give you that promise.”
    And to love him with her entire heart…and soul.
     
    * * *
     
    Ryan had barely closed the front door behind him when her phone rang. The past few days she’d gotten used to ignoring the calls from reporters and bloggers, but when she recognized the Italian country code, she knew she had to pick up.
    Of course Anthony wouldn’t be happy with merely giving the horrible interview. He’d want to make sure she saw it so that he could rub it in her face.
    Damn it, she wasn’t going to let him run her in circles. “Your tricks don’t work on me anymore, Anthony, so you might as well quit trying.”
    There was a pause on the other end of the line. “ Signorina Bennett?”
    Oh! It wasn’t her ex-husband calling. It was an Italian woman. One who was clearly confused by Vicki’s outburst.
    “ Si , I’m sorry, this is Vicki Bennett.”
    “I apologize for calling you with no warning,” the woman said in perfect English with a pretty Italian accent. “I am with the Museum of Contemporary Sculpture in Matera. We have been reviewing your work for the past few months and I am calling with some very good news. We have selected a dozen of your works to be put on display, and would be very pleased to offer you an artist-in-residence position.”
    While she’d been in Prague, Vicki had sent packages to a dozen museums around the world with artist-in-residence programs, deciding she would let fate be her guide.
    She’d thought fate had chosen San Francisco. And Ryan.
    What the heck was fate up to now?
    Knowing the woman likely expected her to accept on the spot, Vicki finally managed to at least say, “I’m thrilled that you’ve chosen my sculptures for your museum, of course, but—”
    The women cut her off by informing her of a much larger yearly artist-in-residence grant amount than she would make in San Francisco.
    If she even won the fellowship.
    “We would like to give you some time to consider the position, of course. But we absolutely must know by the end of the week so that we can prepare the exposition and accompanying literature in time for your arrival. I’m sure you understand our position. We have emailed you all the details.”
    The woman did not have to spell it out any further. If she didn’t accept within a week, the opportunity would go to another sculptor.
    And she would have lost the biggest chance she’d ever had.
    Taking the residency in Italy was about more than that. Because it meant it didn’t matter if she got the San Francisco fellowship anymore. Which meant that she didn’t have to worry about James or Anthony...and she and Ryan wouldn’t have to pretend to be engaged anymore.
    But it would also mean leaving Ryan.
    Yes, she knew they could probably figure out a way to make a long-distance relationship work, at least for the first few months after