Page 100 of Truth or More Truth
“I’m the one who gave Kelli the idea of moving to Chicago.” He winces as he anticipates my reaction.
I can’t decide if this feeling rolling through me is anger, frustration, defeat, or all three rolled into one. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”
His forehead wrinkles. “Really?”
“You already successfully convinced me to give up most of my other clients. Why not try to get me to move to Chicago, too? I just wish you would’ve talked to me about it instead of sending my daughter to do your dirty work.”
He snorts. “Would you have listened to me? No. If you won’t listen to the people who will be most affected by the move, why would you want to hear it from your future best man? Why can’t you just let yourself be happy for once and do something foryouinstead of for Kelli and Nanette—especially since they’re willing to give up a lot in order for you to do it?”
I look down at my hands, which are clasped tightly in front of me to try to keep them from tingling again. “It’s not that I don’twant to be happy. And I’m working on being OK with the idea of letting the girls sacrifice for me for once.”
He reaches out and clasps my joined hands. “Then what is it? What’s the real problem?”
I’ve not said these words out loud since I called the police on my dad the second time, so it takes me a second to force them out. “I’m scared.”
Diego releases my hands and flings his arms out. “My friend, of course you’re scared. You’re in love for the first time in your life. Fear comes with the territory. But think about what you’ll lose if you let fear win. Do you want to lose Melissa?”
My gaze snaps to his. “No.” That’s why I don’t want to move.
“Well, you’re going to if you won’t consider moving. She now knows you’re not willing to do what you demandedshebe willing to do before you would date her. She’s already been hurt by one man who didn’t love her the way he should have. She’s not going to put up with that again.”
My eyes widen. “She told you about Jeremy?”
He shrugs. “We had a lot of time to swap stories on the drive from Arkansas to Chicago. We bonded over our cheating exes. Anyway, I’m not saying you have to actually move. That decision is one you and Melissa will have to make together. But if you’re not willing to consider it and discuss it with her, she is going to walk away, and I would fully support her decision.”
My stomach drops at the thought. I can’t let that happen. I can’t lose the only woman I’ve ever truly loved—the only woman I ever want to love. The irony is that while I’m afraid I’ll lose her if I move to Chicago, I’ll definitely lose her if I don’t move. I’m usually a logical man, but the logic of this situation has eluded me for weeks.
I look my friend in the eyes. “I need to call her.”
“Yes, you do. Are you ready to do that now?”
“Not really, but I can’t leave her wondering any longer. I need to fix this.”
Diego finally stands, and he pats me on the head. “That’s a good boy.”
forty-one
. . .
Bobby didn’t answer when I tried calling his hotel room an hour ago, and I’m tempted to believe that means he doesn’t want to talk to me. But there’s no way for him to know who’s calling him, and he might not even be in his room. It’s dinner time in Arizona, so he’s likely out with Diego, because his afternoon game would be long over.
Since I haven’t been able to talk to Bobby, I’ve spent the last hour in a spiral of anger and hurt. It would help if I called one of my friends to talk this out with them, but I don’t, because it’s late and I don’t want to bother either set of newlyweds.
When the phone rings, I try to rein in my emotions in case it’s not him. Nobody else needs me growling at them right now. But considering the time, it’s almost certainly him.
I reach over the arm of the couch and pick up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Hey, Pookie.”
I will not smile at the nickname.I will not smile.
I smile.Ugh.
Then I sigh before wiping the smile back off my face. “Hi, B.S.” I don’t say anything else, because I want to see if he’ll bring up the elephant in the phone line.
“I hear my daughtercalled you tonight.”
“Indeed, she did. And she had some very interesting things to say.”
