AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As if. “Thank you. I don’t only mean for that. I mean for everything. I, um—” Damn, I was getting emotional. If I didn’t rein it in, I would be a blubbering mess. “Offering Tristan and me a place to live and being so very generous with everything. I really can’t thank you enough.”
Haylee teared up, giving me a hug. “Aww. We’re going to miss you a lot. And I love that we became even closer friends.”
“Me, too.”
After Haylee had left, I put Tristan to bed and was working on the dishes when I heard the knock on the door. I called out that it was open. As Mark came in, I felt the emotions start to overwhelm me.
He shed his coat and walked to the kitchen, eyes on me. “Talk to me, Jules.”
I dried a pan and put it in the cabinet. I was grateful that at least he wasn’t pretending everything was normal. “What would you like me to say?”
He sighed loudly. “I realize you’re upset, but it was my fiancée’s birthday today—or would’ve been. All I did was have dinner with Lauren and her family.”
Not former fiancée. His fiancée, as if she’d always be that to him. I stopped what I was doing and faced him. “What was her name? Your fiancée? I only know it started with an S.”
He hesitated, then softly said, “Sarah.”
It was the first time he’d spoken her name to me. I thought how sad it was that, in this entire time, he’d never mentioned her and I’d never asked until now. “You could’ve told me where you were going. What today was.”
My voice was sympathetic. I refused to shout or fight. I simply wanted answers.
“I didn’t know how. But I’m sorry.”
I swallowed hard. “You called me and Tristan your neighbors.”
“I know, but I couldn’t tell Lauren the truth—not on her sister’s birthday.”
“Then when? Maybe the same time you’d get around to telling anyone else about us.” Because, suddenly, I didn’t believe him when he said he wanted to tell Brian in person and Josh afterward. I saw it for what it was: a delay tactic.
“It’s not like that.”
I walked into the living room, needing space. “What’s it like, then?”
He answered my question with one of his own, deflecting and looking increasingly uncomfortable. “Where is this coming from? We agreed to wait.”
I fought the nausea that threatened. “No, you convinced me to wait. But today you completely dismissed not only me, but also my son. The two people you professed to want as a part of your future.” My voice was down to a whisper with the last word.
“Jules—” He took a step toward me.
I knew if I allowed him to touch me, all of my resolve would be gone. So I held up my hand to keep him from coming any closer. “Please don’t make this any harder.”
His gaze searched mine. “Why does it need to be hard? I don’t understand. I thought we were on the same page.”
“And what is that page?”
“Planning a future together. I didn’t mean to make you feel dismissed, and I’m sorry.”
“Do you love me?”
His eyes flashed in panic at my question. “You know how I feel about you.”
I shook my head, feeling an absolute fool for not understanding his limitations sooner. That he might not be as ready to move on as I’d assumed. I had attributed my doubts to my own insecurities and hadn’t asked him the hard questions for fear of the real answers. “Actually, I don’t know.”
“I wouldn’t be planning a future with you—which includes having a baby—if I wasn’t serious about us.”
“But that’s not what I asked. I asked if you loved me.”
He raked a hand through his hair, frustration rolling off him in waves. “I just—I’m the sort of person who has a hard time saying it, that’s all.”
