Street Smart. Tara Quinn Taylor

goal in mind. There was no possible way for your heart to find peace.”

      He was sure she was right. But what, exactly, was she trying to tell him? What should he do? What should he have done differently?

      “Dating—marriage—isn’t supposed to be an escape,” she said softly. “And love can’t be forced. From what you describe, you were looking at each woman you dated, not for who she was, but as a means of escaping your mother. You wanted escape, but what you were attempting to do would only have trapped you further. In a loveless marriage you didn’t really want.”

      Maybe.

      “You know what gave your father the ability to remain cheerful despite the stress of coping with your mother’s situation?”

      He shook his head. Lord knew he’d tried. Sober. Drunk. Sick. Healthy. He’d tried. He’d tried figuring it out while floating in the sky all by himself after he’d jumped out of a plane at twenty thousand feet. He’d tried praying. He’d even gone to a psychic once.

      “It was love.” Melissa’s whisper pierced the warm night. “All you have to do is fall in love.”