Touched by Angels (Angels Everywhere #3)(86)

“Hannah?” A moment later her father called from the bottom of the stairs.

“Yes,” she said, hoping she sounded calm and assured.

“Is everything all right between you and Carl?”

She didn’t hesitate, and the relief in her voice was evident. “Don’t worry, Dad, everything’s the way it should be.”

There came a time in every man’s life when he had to admit he’d made a mistake, learn from it, and move forward. Joshua had reached that point the afternoon he’d heard Hannah’s father invite him to his daughter’s wedding to another man.

Even now he couldn’t find it in his heart to be angry with Hannah. Her inability to break her engagement highlighted what had attracted her to him. She was loyal to a fault, caring, and tenderhearted. Family took priority.

A part of him would always love her, he realized. Knowing her for this short period had blessed his life, but now it was time to own up to a few home truths.

First off, his love was hurting her. Because of the tenderness he held for Hannah, he couldn’t continue to make her miserable. The truth was, he’d found her too late.

His decision made, Joshua had hoped to experience some sort of emotional release, but he didn’t. If anything, he felt considerably worse. He’d stewed and fretted, doubted and reasoned, until he was blue with the effort. Nothing would ever change. Hannah loved him, but it went against the very grain of her being to defy and disappoint her family.

The snowstorm that had been predicted for that afternoon had already darkened the sky. Another night of sitting home alone, thinking about Hannah, would solve nothing.

Unfortunately all his favorite escapes had been ruined. He couldn’t walk past Rockefeller Center now and not remember the time he and Hannah had skated together. Nor could he forget how good she’d felt in his arms.

This was the real problem: he couldn’t forget.

The time had come to seek greener pastures, and he had just the woman in mind. He reached for the phone and dialed Carol’s number.

“Hannah,” her mother called to her from the hallway. “Your father and I need to talk to you.”

Hannah opened her bedroom door, her coat draped over her arm.

Ruth’s eyes widened with distress. “You’re not going out, are you?”

“Yes.”

Ruth hesitated and looked to her husband.

“Did you need me to get you something?” Hannah asked, then added, “I don’t know when I’ll be home.”

“No. . . . I just received a call from Carl’s mother. Is it true, honey, have you broken the engagement with Carl?”

Hannah should have realized something like this would happen. Carl had gone directly to his family and listed her sins. Hannah regretted that she hadn’t prepared her parents for the news, but she’d been hoping to confront them with Joshua at her side.

“I don’t love Carl,” she told her mother gently. “I’m sorry, Mom, I know how much you and Dad like him, but I don’t feel the same way.”

“There’s someone else?” her mother questioned, her voice revealing the depth of her disbelief. “Helen seems to think you’ve been seeing another man on the sly, without any of us knowing. I assured her that couldn’t possibly be true.”

David Morganstern stood behind his wife, his hand on Ruth’s shoulder. His eyes, dark and inquisitive, rested on his daughter.

“His name’s Joshua Shadduck,” she admitted. “He’s an attorney.”

Her mother gasped softly and covered her mouth with her hand. Hannah wasn’t sure if this was because she’d admitted to dating someone while engaged to Carl or because Joshua was an attorney.

Her father frowned. “Didn’t I recently meet this young man?”

Ashamed that she’d deceived them both, Hannah lowered her gaze. “Yes. He was in the deli.”

“How could you have fallen in love with him?” her mother asked, her voice raised with disbelief. “How could you hurt Carl like this? He’s such a good man. We couldn’t ask for a better husband for you.”

“Joshua will make me a good husband, too.”

“I forbid you from seeing this Joshua again,” her father said sternly.

“Daddy, I’ve never defied you. I’ve always done what you’ve asked, but I love Joshua with all my heart. I need to see him. I need to be with him.”

Her parents stared back at her, too shocked to respond right away.

“How did you meet him?” The question came from her mother a moment later.

“We met at the Thanksgiving Day parade. Then, before I had a chance to analyze how I felt about him, Carl asked me to marry him. I didn’t want to agree, but at the time it seemed like the best thing to do. You and Dad were so pleased, and you both like Carl.”

“He’s been like a son to me,” her father admitted sadly.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Hannah whispered. “I didn’t mean to disappoint you.” Before either one could say anything more, she rushed out of the apartment.

“Hannah, please, don’t go,” her mother shouted from the top of the stairway, but Hannah pretended not to hear. Never in all her life had she ignored her mother and father.

Hannah caught a taxi outside the deli and read the driver the Riverside Drive address Joshua had written down on the back of his business card.