“If you wanted to go, I’d let you go because I want you to be happy.Even if I want you to stay.”He smoothed her hair back.“I’m not claiming to know what’s best here but he’s really struggling with the idea of you leaving again.”
She pushed, gently, from his arms.“He is?Or you are?”
“Honestly?Both.”Seconds later, the bedside light came on and he was blinking against the bright light.
“I’m sorry about this.”She stood beside the bed, hugging herself.“Aboutallof this.”
He sat up.“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Maggie.Watching him hurt…” He broke off, his throat going tight.“I wanted to comfort him—be there for him.”
“But that’s not your job, Braden.He is my son.I should never have pulled you into this.”She patted her chest.“It’s not fair to you or me or Cody.Yes, we’ve spent some time together.We’ve become…friends.But I should never have let things get so…complicated.”
Braden stood, her words a slap to the face.“Now we’re just friends again, Maggie?”He drew in a deep breath.“What’s between us is more than friendship.You know that.And you know I love Cody or you wouldn’t have called me today.”
“It was a mistake.”She wouldn’t look at him.
“What was a mistake?”All he could do was stare at her.What was she saying?
“Today.Last night.All of this.”She hugged herself tighter.“Let’s stop…for a while.I need to get my head straight.You have Delilah to worry about.I need to focus on Cody.”
He couldn’t stop shaking his head.
“Braden, we started this to help each other out.You’re fine now.Delilah is fine.”She stumbled over his daughter’s name.“If we keep doing this, they’re only going to get more hurt in the end.They’ve both had more than enough hurt in their little lives, don’t you think?”
“And ending it now won’t hurt them?”He stepped closer to her.“It will.And it’ll damn near tear my heart out.I love—”
“No.”She held up her hands.“Don’t say anything else.I—I can’t do this.”
He took her hands and placed them on his chest, one right over his heart.“You can do this, Maggie.You can love me.You can trust me.Whatever comes at us, we can workthrough it together.We can work through this, Maggie.Let me in.”There was no warmth in her gaze.No light.It was getting harder to fight against the panic crushing in on him.
“And my job?”The defiant thrust of her chin was so like Cody.
“I’d never ask you to quit.Or compromise who you are.But don’t pretend you’re not torn in two every time you leave.Does it have to be so black-and-white?Life isn’t black-and-white, Maggie.You know that.There has to be a way for you to do the work you love and be with your son, with me and Delilah.”He took a deep breath, unable to tell if his words were reaching her or not.“Maggie… You put everyone else first but it’s okay to want something for yourself.What doyouwant?Have you asked yourself that?Do you know?”He squeezed her hands.“I do.There is nothing I want more than the family we’re becoming.I give you my word, I will try my best, every day, to give you and Cody the love you deserve.”
She pulled her hand away.“I…can’t.”
Seeing tears sparkling in her eyes only made it that much worse.
His heart felt like it’d been sliced open.“I’ll give you some time and space, Maggie.But, please, don’t write us off.We have a good thing here.Just know… I love you, and Cody.I want to protect you and I want to share your stresses—not add to them.”
“Braden…” She pulled her hands from his hold.“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.There’s nothing left to say.”
There were a million things to say, she just didn’t want to hear them.She’d rather push him away and pull back into her shell than give them a chance.“Pretty sure it couldn’t get much harder.”He felt like his heart was being cut fromhis chest.“Maybe, someday, you’ll find room in your heart for me.”There was a tremor in his voice.“My heart is already yours.I love you, Maggie.That’s all I know.Nothing will change that.So, if you change your mind about us, I’ll be waiting.”
It took every ounce of his willpower to walk out.Each step was like lead.He passed Mike on his way out, but he couldn’t get any words out.What was there to say?For the first time in his life, he’d fallen in love.Now that he’d lost Maggie, how was he supposed to put the pieces of his heart back together?
Chapter Fourteen
For the next week, Maggie worked part-time for JenniLynn and spent every spare minute with Cody.They’d talked about her job and Cody’s fears a lot.There was no easy fix for this.All she could do was keep talking to him and reassuring him that she loved him best.She didn’t know what would happen when she was cleared to go back to work but they’d take it one day at a time.For now, he was back to his affectionate self—kissing and hugging her and holding her hand when she’d walked him to the bus stop.Even now, having pie at the Silver Spur Café, he’d chosen to sit right beside her instead of across from her.
While she loved the shift in their relationship, it didn’t fully ease the ache in her chest.For Braden.Braden—who’d snuck into her head and heart every moment she stopped going and doing.
“When are Braden and Delilah coming over?”This wasn’t the first time Cody had asked this.
And every time he asked, she wanted to curl into a little ball and cry.She was sleep-deprived, emotionally exhausted and haunted by every horrible second of her last exchange with Braden.How was she supposed to tell Cody that Braden and Delilah wouldn’t be coming around anymore?How was she supposed to explain what had happened?And when was her heart going to stop twisting itself in knots at the sound of Braden’s name?
“Yeah, Mags.It’s been a while.”Mike sat on the other side of the booth, devouring a massive piece of cherry pie.“No plans with them?”
“I don’t know.”She ignored her brother—who knew things were rocky with Braden—and smiled at Cody.“You’ve got whipped cream on your cheek.”
