Persuasion isnot mine. It belongs to Jane Austen. This chapter is from Rick's point of view.

Seeing Anne for the first time in eight years was hard for me. I was still angry with her for breaking off our engagement. I knew there was a possibility that I would see her again because my sister and brother-in-law were renting her family's house.

She looked different from when she was twenty-two. Her hair was longer and there was a sadness in her eyes that almost made me forgive her. But I reminded myself that she dumped me eight years ago and the old anger set in.

After Anne left, my family and I sat down to eat lunch. My new niece, Gracie, was sleeping upstairs. Mom was thrilled to finally have a grandchild. Danny had no interest in being a father and I haven't found the right person to start a family with. Except for Anne.

"Rick, why did you have to be an asshole to Anne?" Sophie asked me.

I swallowed my bite of my BLT. "I wasn't being an asshole."

"Yes, you were. You could've at least said hi."

I sighed. "She was the one who dumped me."

"She's still my favorite of your ex-girlfriends, so please at least say more than three words to her next time you see her." Gracie cried on the baby monitor and Sophie went to go take care of her.

"I agree with Sophie," Adam said.

"Same here," Danny said.

I looked at Mom. She nodded.

"How is this my fault?"

"It's not your fault she broke up with you, but your father and I didn't raise you to be rude to people."

I shook my head and stood up. "I have to go work on my book. Please don't bother me." I threw my plate and napkin in the trash and went up to my room.

I plugged in my laptop and opened my hardcopy of the current draft of my book, Mea Culpa. The plot was loosely based on my relationship with Anne, but with a gender swap. Thomas Murray had met Leah Garrison in college, but his parents disapproved of the relationship, so he broke up with Leah. A few years later, they work on the same magazine, but can't ignore the feelings they still have for each other.

The problem my agent, publisher, and I were having with the book was the ending. My original ending was having Thomas and Leah stay broken up and live without each other. My agent and publisher wanted a happy, wrapped-up ending to keep with the current trends. I didn't know if I could do that.

I couldn't write the happy ending without myself having one. The judgment of my family about my attitude towards Anne reminded me of the first time I had met Anne's family.

"So, Rick, what does your family do?" Walter Elliot asked me, his hand clutching his champagne glass.

"My dad died a couple of years ago. My mom is a secretary, my sister is a doctor, and my brother is an accountant," I answered.

"I see," Walter said. I felt myself shifting in my seat. I wanted to make a good impression, but Anne had warned me ahead of time. She gave me a sympathetic smile.

"What do you want to do with your life?" Walter asked.

"I want to be a writer."

"A writer? Do you think you would make it as a writer?" The condescension and contempt in his voice filled the room.

"Yes, I do."

"Right." Walter stared at me over the rim of his glass.

I knew he thought I wasn't good enough for his daughter.

Writing Mea Culpa was therapeutic for me, even if I wouldn't admit it. I needed some type of closure even if I was still pissed off at her. I did have two relationships after Anne, but I couldn't commit and the relationships were short-lived.

I also had the occasional one-night-stand, but I always felt and saw Anne.

"I'm not sure about this." Anne played with the ties of her bathrobe.

"We don't have to if you don't want to." I laid in my bed, the covers over me.

"I'm ready. It's just -"

"What?" I asked.

"What if I'm really bad at sex?"

"You won't be bad. I don't have much experience myself."

"But I don't have any."

"You might be better than you think."

"Okay." Anne untied her robe and shrugged it off onto the floor. I could feel myself desiring her as she crawled into the bed.

Her kisses were slow at first, but as I started to caress her, the kissing became more passionate. Our bodies moved in a slow rhythm…

I shook my head to get Anne out. Seeing her again stirred up feelings I wanted to forget. I stared at the computer screen until my vision blurred. I closed the laptop.

I wished I could leave Kansas City, but I was taking a break from work to finish my book and spend some time with my family. Mom and Danny were leaving on Sunday to go back to St. Louis and I would be staying until a deal could be reached with my book.

I stood up and walked out of my room. I needed to do some serious thinking.