ROME

It wasn’t the dinner that made me anxious. It was after the dinner—the possibility of not seeing Carly again. It was what I wanted for her—to live out there, doing the job she loved. I couldn’t hold that against her.

I knew she missed her family and seeing them might change her perspective. Her feelings for me might change, too. There was no guarantee what we had would pan out, considering what kind of people they were and my family business was here.

I would never blame Carly if she decided to be with her family and picked up what she had left off. It was who she was,...