“You can’t!”
“Sydney—” Jarod sounded anguished. “Don’t make this any harder on me than it already is.”
“Why don’t we just hold each other for the rest of the night.”
“You honestly think that would work for more than five seconds?”
“We haven’t found out yet.”
“And you asked me not to tease you,” he said in a dry tone.
“I’m not teasing. I’m begging you to stay.”
She felt his emotional distance before he released her arms and stepped back. “I can’t.”
He really meant it. “Why?”
“I made a promise to myself.”
“I see.”
“I wish I could make you understand.”
“Try me.”
A deep sigh came out of him. “I want to do everything right. Our love is a sacrament, Sydney. To treat it less than it is would be cheating both of us.”
She marveled at the depth of this man. His integrity humbled her. “I wish I were as strong as you.”
His eyes glittered with unnamed emotion. “You’re wrong. I’m the one with the fatal weakness. Have you forgotten I came to you?”
Leaving her to ponder that question, he disappeared out the door.
Fatal weakness?
If that was how he viewed himself, did it mean he despised that part of his nature?
Because of it, would he end up despising her?
Always at the heart of her newly found happiness lurked the niggling fear Jarod would live to regret his decision. But that was no way to live. Every couple faced challenges in marriage.
Hers was to think positive thoughts and refuse to let the negative take over. Or like her mother had said, it would destroy her.
The bell rang, ending seventh period. All things considered, the first week of school had gone well.
Sydney breathed a sigh of relief as the students filed out of class. In a half hour she planned to meet Jarod to finalize everything with the pastor.
Seven days until she would be Mrs. Kendall!
Gathering her things, she started to leave the room when she noticed Steve Carr had poked his head in the door.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Of course. Is this about The Merchant of Venice?”
“It’s a pretty interesting story, but that’s not why I’m here.”
She rested her hip against one of the desks. “Have you been grounded again for something?”