I couldn’t let that happen. She meant too much to me, and there was no way I would let her go without a fight.
Her ex may have been a coward who let her walk away, but I would not be like him.
Elsie was worth the fight.Wewere worth the fight.
I just hoped she let me prove it to her.
Elsie
Elsie,” Maya sighed, coffee cup in hand. “Jameson said he has feelings for you. This is amazing. Why are you freaking out?”
Why was I freaking out? Because, despite my efforts to keep Jameson at a distance, to protect my heart, I had fallen for him. I kept picturing my future with him, which was a huge problem knowing it would all come crashing down at some point.
I liked him too much to allow that to happen. I liked him too much to not be broken if—and when—he revealed his true self.
My mind was a mess. Hence the freaking out.
I squinted at her, pursing my lips as I glanced around. Though it was noisy in the coffee shop, it didn’t stop her voice from carrying. I didn’t need all of Meridel hearing about my boy problems, and I especially didn’t need word getting back to Jameson…or worse, Ben.Ben was the type to be vengeful and vindictive, and I wouldn’t put it past him to do something to hurt me or Jameson.
“Because,” I said around a bite of a cinnamon chip scone, “this isn’t what we agreed on. It was supposed to be three dates, and then it was supposed to end. There weren’t supposed to be feelings involved. He wasn’t supposed tolikeme.”
“Butyoulikehim,” Maya was quick to point out.While I hadn’t said those exact words out loud, my best friend knew me far too well, and it was impossible to hide the truth from her.
I pressed my fingers against my eyes, trying to stop the tears that wanted to fall. “What am I going to do?”
“Oh my gosh, Elsie. You act like a man falling for you is the equivalent of your cat dying. You both like each other, so just date!Reallydate!”
I dropped my hands, clenching them into fists. “You know I can’t do that.”
Maya rolled her eyes. “Look, Els, I’m going to give you some tough love because you need it, and I know you can handle it. You and Jameson arenotyour parents. Their divorce was awful, yes, but that doesn’t mean it will happen to you two. You’d really miss out on the chance at an incredible guy because you’re scared things will end like your parents?”
“Twenty-nineyears, Maya,” I snapped. “They were married for twenty-nine years, and they just gave up on each other. They were always yelling, always fighting. By the end, there was so much resentment between them, I felt like I was choking on it when I was around them. They used to be crazy about each other. Now look at them. If it could happen to them, it can happen to me, and it’s not worth it. It’s not worth it to fall in love with someone, build a life together, then grow to resent them each day, until you both just…give up.”
Maya sighed. “Els, you can’t look at your parents as the be-all end-all. Not every relationship and marriage ends like that. Your parents stopped choosing each other. They stopped choosing to fight for their marriage. They let resentment stop them from working things out.”
I took a long drink of my coffee, scalding my tongue as her words settled. I had never thought about it like that before.
“Don’t do that with Jameson. See where things can go. And if it works out, take it one day at a time, choosing each other each day.” She paused, studying me. “Have you even told Jameson about your parents?”
I avoided her eyes, which must have been answer enough because she scoffed.
“Elsie, you need to tell him. How can he fight your fears and prove his feelings when he doesn’t even know what beast he’s battling?”
I winced. I supposed she had a point, as much as I hated to admit it.
Could I tell Jameson about my parents? Would he understand why I was so scared of relationships? Would he do as Maya suggested and help me fight those fears? Or would he see my baggage and run away? The baggage from Ben was one thing, but adding my parents’ brutal divorce into the mix, and how it skewed my belief in love? Who would want that?
“I don’t know if telling him would change anything.”
“Well, you’ll never know unless you try. You’re calling it quits before you even give him a chance. That’s worse than what your parents did if you ask me.”
Outrage filled my veins before it settled into a dull simmer. As much as those words hurt to hear, maybe she had a point.
I eyed her. “When did you get so…relationship-y?”
She shrugged. “Just call me Love Guru Maya.”
“You’re not even dating anyone.”
