*Lucas*
The next morning, Lauren and I met with Michael, Shelby, and Reggie to discuss making arrangements to get help out to the surrounding areas of the island.
I could feel the awkwardness between Lauren and me as we walked into the meeting room, and I hated it. We had been on such a wonderful road going forward in our relationship, and now we had run over a pothole.
And that pothole’s name was Moira.
I didn’t blame Moira for being that obstacle–not yet anyway. She and I were done, and she knew that and accepted it. But Lauren didn’t know that, and so far, I hadn’t been able to convince her otherwise. And I wanted to be with Lauren, not Moira. Moira was my past and I wanted Lauren to be my present and future—no one else. Moira had left me when she realized I couldn’t leave my family as she had left hers. I had thought at one time that we would be married, but now I knew that wasn’t meant to be, and I was at peace with that.