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I shake my head. “You are unbelievable, and I mean that in the best way.”
“Seriously, though.” He inches closer to me. “Are you okay about the breakup? I imagine it was hard for you. I mean, last we spoke, you were set on marrying him.”
“I know.” I hug myself tighter and let my head fall forward, resting it against his chest, needing the connection. “What if I’m making a mistake?”
“You’re not.” He rubs my hair and back. “Dash wasn’t right for you.”
“You thought this before?” I say to his bare feet. They’re so sexy.
“I did.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
“It wasn’t my business.”
I lift my head and straighten. “I prefer my friends to be brutally honest with me, even if it hurts.”
“Did Everleigh say anything about him?”
“She questioned me a lot. Asked if I was happy. If I was ready to get married. If I should date more or wait.” I gasp. “Oh my gosh. She was trying to tell me he wasn’t the one.” I smack my forehead. “I can be so dumb.”
Easton catches my wrist and lowers my hand. “You are not dumb. You figured it out and dumped him. Tying your ass to him in marriage would have been…not smart. But you didn’t.”
“You know what the messed-up thing is?”
He slides his hand down to my fingers and slowly releases, leaving tingles on my skin.
“I didn’t cry. I haven’t cried. Shouldn’t I be sad? I mean, I am. Sort of. For the future I thought I was going to have with him. For the promise of forever with him. Someone to grow old with. To make babies with one day. To share all the wonderful things that come with having a family. All of that is gone. And I haven’t even cried.” A tear slips down my cheek. I wipe my eyes and realize they’re flooded.
Easton wraps me in his arms and lets me cry into his warm chest. I can’t believe I am. I can’t believe the number of tears that are falling. Because of all I hoped for and lost, because I spent almost a year waiting to be all Dash saw. Because I wasn’t enough to compete with his friends and job. Because maybe, just maybe, I’m not enough for anyone, least of all the great romance of my dreams. And that breaks my heart.
Chapter 6
Sadie
I remove Easton’s shirt from the dryer and hold it out to him.
“I can’t believe I left a small puddle on it. I can’t believe I cried over Dash. I didn’t expect that to happen.”
Easton takes the shirt and pulls it on, concealing his perfect torso under the warm fabric. “That’s what friends do. Right?” he asks in all seriousness.
I laugh. “You’ve never held someone who was crying before?”
He scratches the light stubble on his chin. “No. Guys don’t cry, and girls don’t cry around me. They yell sometimes and throw things, but no tears. You’re my first.”
A smile splits my lips. I shouldn’t like that as much as I do. “I’m honored to be your first something. I’m sure the days of firsts for you are long gone.”
“You’re also my first female friend who I haven’t had sex with.”
“Two firsts. But then, our friendship was inevitable. Written in the stars.” I gesture to the ceiling. He’s heard me say this before and thinks it’s silly. He thinks I’m silly. Maybe I am.
Grinning, he follows me out of the small laundry room and to the kitchen. “Why is it so important to you to have a fairy tale marriage? Most people aren’t as lucky as Daire and Everleigh.”
“I know.” I feed Detective Pickles and give him a pet before moving on to watering the plants throughout the room. “My mom never had anyone when I was growing up, but she dreamed of the perfect man. She is a romantic through and through. We watched all the Disney movies. The original versions. We loved love and romance and the idea of happily ever after. My mom didn’t get that with my dad. He was a one-night stand. She would have wanted more, but she didn’t get the chance because he disappeared. No number. No nothing. She couldn’t even reach him to let him know she was pregnant. It was hard on her. She wanted more for both of us. But we made the best of what we had, which wasn’t much. Then Mom met Tim, her knight in shining armor. He loves her the way she always wanted. So, I guess that’s why I’m always chasing the perfect relationship. The one that leads to marriage and a family.”
I set the water can on the counter. “I know some people would say I’m ridiculous. That I need to love myself and that should be enough. I don’t think it’s wrong to want a fairytale, though. Taylor Swift makes a living off songs about the hope of forever with the perfect man.”
“She also makes a living off heartbreak songs.”
