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“So, are you married?”
I was slightly taken aback by his question. I was beginning to feel like I was on some timer, as if everyone was expecting me to be married, have kids, and live in a house with a white picket fence.
“No, I’m not married and don’t have kids.”
“Are you seeing anyone?”
I couldn’t tell if he was flirting or asking out of general interest.
“It’s complicated. I was seeing someone, but he recently lost his father. Then everything changed. There were issues before, but I never spoke about them. Everything came out, and now I don’t know where things stand. He told me he loved me, and I didn’t say it back.”
“Do you love him?”
“Yes.”
It feels so easy saying it. That’s what was even more frustrating.
“Then it’s never too late.”
I knew I needed to explain the various things that happened in more detail, wanting him to understand that it was more complex than he may have thought.
“I’m not so sure about that,” I murmured.
“Okay, enlighten me.”
“I met this guy. His name is Rhett Chambers. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of him?”
Looking up, I saw Danny’s eyes widen, and he rolled his lips inward, I’m guessing to suppress his smile, but he nodded and waved his hand for me to continue.
“It was actually by fluke during one of my visits here, and I was helping Dad at the garage. There was an instant spark, but I left before giving him my name. Anyway, after that, I was at work - meeting a new client, and low and behold, it was the guy from the garage. Well, his father’s company was the new client, and he works for the family business and will take it over. Initially, there was a lot of back and forth, but eventually, I gave him a chance. Then his crazy ex tried worming her way in—trying to end things before they’d even really started between us. He found out his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Rhett understandably took it hard. We worked through it, and things were looking up. He met my family, and they all loved him, but then I met his mother, and let’s just say it didn’t go well. Plus, given his name, when we went to a gala together, the press and a hell of a lot of internet trolls tore into me. I’m used to it in a work capacity, but I’d never experienced it on that scale. One of the biggest issues was how I didn’t fit.”
“How do you mean you didn’t fit?”
“Because I’m not white.”
“He said that to you?”
His hands clenched, and I could see the anger rolling off him.
“No, no, of course not. Rhett isn’t like that. But those around him, his mother, the ex, hell, even the tabloids, made it crystal clear. At first, I didn’t let it bother me too much, but it was always in the back of my mind. Then his father passed, and Rhett shut himself off, and things just got worse from there. I couldn’t fight anymore. I didn’t want to fight for people to accept me. But when he started pulling away and distancing himself, it just became too much. I don’t know if you remember, but my mom left us when we were kids, and abandonment is something I’ve always struggled with. To the point that I hardly ever let anyone in. So, to finally let someone in and then feel like they are walking away I couldn’t take it. So, I ended it.”
I quickly wiped away the tears that rolled down my cheeks. We sat silently for a minute as he gave me a moment to compose myself.
“Trust me when I say this. If you love him, and he loves you, nothing will get in between that.”
My pulse began to race as those words planted a seed of hope within my chest.
“Enough about me. What about yourself? Married? Kids?”
He looked away and took a long swig of his coffee. I was about to change the subject as the silence began to feel uncomfortable.
“I was. Seven years ago, I married the love of my life. We traveled around Europe and Asia for almost two years. It was amazing. If you haven’t gone traveling yet, I’d recommend it. A few months after we returned, Lucy found out we were pregnant. I was so excited. I’d never pegged myself for the father type, but everything felt right when I saw our baby on the screen at the first scan. The first two trimesters were fine. Then, in the third, we found out she had pre-eclampsia. She went into labor five weeks early and I lost both my wife and the baby.”
Tears were rolling down my cheeks. How devastating. What an awful thing to happen, to anyone. I must have sounded like such a jerk going on about my problems. Everything I spoke about was inconsequential in comparison to the horrific ordeal he’d gone through.
“I’m so sorry.”
I didn’t know what else to say. Nothing else seemed right to say. I wiped my tears away and finished off my drink.
