You found her once, his inner voice chimed in slyly. You had her. But you let her get away…

The mental picture he’d only moments ago successfully blocked now broke through his carefully erected barriers and a vivid image of Mallory Altman rose in his mind, filling him with the same sense of loss and regret the thought of her always brought.

Had ten years really passed since they’d first met? Nine years since that unforgettable summer when their friendship had caught fire and flared into a steaming love affair? Yes, although when he allowed himself to think about that summer, the memories remained so clear, so vivid, it didn’t seem possible it had happened so long ago.

To this day, if he closed his eyes, he could still hear her infectious laugh. See her teasing grin. He’d loved her sense of humor, the magical way she could turn even the dullest chore into something fun. He’d fallen hard…so hard that the depth of his feelings had scared the crap out of him. Yeah, he’d had her, but the timing had been wrong. For both of them.

They’d been too young, his emotions too intense. She’d just turned eighteen and was headed off to a university hundreds of miles away, while he was only twenty-one, a new college grad about to start his Wall Street career. When he’d found himself thinking about forever-about marriage, kids and a mortgage, panic swamped him and he suggested they take a break. See other people. She’d agreed and he’d breathed a huge sigh of relief.

It hadn’t taken him long to realize he’d made a mistake, but it had been long enough for her to find someone else. And to make it clear that Adam was now “just a friend.” Losing her, realizing that her feelings hadn’t run anywhere near as deep as his had hurt like a jagged blade through his heart.

They’d briefly run into each other a few times after that, but each time they’d been involved with other people. He hadn’t seen her in five years. Still, the image of her gorgeous smile and warm, chocolaty brown eyes remained as vibrant as ever. The last he’d heard about her had been three years ago when he’d seen an announcement in the paper that she’d gotten engaged.