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“I’ll miss you, too,” she said tearfully. “But I’ll see you in a month.”
I snorted. “I doubt you’ll spend much time missing us back here in Citrus Beach when you’re with the husband of your dreams.”
We both sat down to drink our coffee at the table.
Aiden had gone with Eli to do some last-minute errands before the newlyweds took off.
“I’ve been so crazy busy with the wedding that we haven’t had much time to talk,” Jade said with regret in her voice.
I shot her a smile. “That’s okay. I’ve been helping Aiden set up his new business, and I’ve been looking at new designs for the restaurant, so it’s been crazy here, too.”
“How are you two doing?” Jade asked anxiously.
I hesitated before I answered. “We’re good. I think we’re both starting to leave the past behind so we can give Maya a good life.”
“But there’s more than just Maya, right? I mean, it’s obvious that there’s still something there between you and Aiden.”
I was surprised. “Is it really obvious?”
She shrugged. “Maybe only to me. I’m crazy in love with Eli. So I recognize the subtle signs.”
“We don’t really know what’s going to happen yet,” I admitted.
“Maybe it’s okay to take your time,” she suggested.
“Really, we don’t know each other anymore,” I confessed. “We’ve both . . . changed.”
“Of course you have. You were only eighteen when you got pregnant, Skye. And even though you haven’t shared much about your marriage, you’re not the same person you used to be. You’re a lot warier.”
I felt guilty. “It wasn’t because I didn’t want to tell you. It was just . . . painful.”
Jade had always been the best friend I’d ever had, but I was ashamed of all the trouble I’d gotten myself into. I hadn’t wanted to tell anybody the whole truth.
“I understand,” she said gently. “I don’t have to know every little detail to know that those experiences did something bad to you. But please don’t be afraid of Aiden. He’d never intentionally hurt you.”
“I know. But it’s hard for me to trust anyone now.”
“Give it some time. You and Aiden will end up together someday. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to happen.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think that?”
She winked. “Because I saw the way you looked at each other when he was singing. He got to you.”
Jade was right. Aiden did get to me. And I wasn’t sure if I should be terrified or relieved.
I wanted to feel things again.
I just didn’t want to face those emotions as quickly as I had with Aiden.
“I think things are happening too fast,” I shared. “For years, I trained myself not to feel anything to survive. I poured everything good into Maya, but that was it. I turned myself off to everybody and everything else. I had to, Jade. I did it to protect myself and my daughter.”
“But you don’t need to do that anymore, Skye. I get that you had to block out the bad things around you, but that’s all over. You deserve to start living again, and not just for Maya. You need it for yourself.”
I took a deep breath and then let it out. She was right. But Jade didn’t realize just how hard it was to let go of defense mechanisms that had probably saved my life.
“I know,” I answered. “But it’s definitely going to take some time.”
She smiled. “You have all the time in the world. I don’t think Aiden is going to go anywhere.”
“He’s an amazing man. He always has been,” I said wistfully.
Jade pulled a face. “Well, he is my annoying older brother, but I guess I have to agree with you. All of my brothers are pretty extraordinary.”
“You adore him and you know it,” I said emphatically.
“Yeah, I do. So try not to torture him too much,” she requested, still smiling as she raised her mug to drink.
“I honestly don’t want to torture him at all. But I can’t let him bully me into things, either.”
She set her mug down on the table. “He’s pushing too hard? I know Aiden has a tendency to go after what he wants with a vengeance.”
“God, I can’t really say that he’s demanding that I do things. Well, not very often, anyway. But he can be pretty persuasive.”
Jade laughed. “I know. He got me to eat my vegetables all the time. And I sure as hell didn’t want to. But he usually tried to bargain with Brooke and me.”
“He hasn’t changed much, then,” I replied drily.
“But his heart is good.”
“I know.”
“So give him a chance,” she requested. “Take it at your own pace.”
“That’s the plan,” I confided. “Though sometimes I want to put the pedal to the metal with him, but then I get . . . scared.”
“Relationships are pretty terrifying sometimes,” she agreed. “My connection with Eli certainly never went smoothly. And sometimes I still can’t believe he’s my husband. Me. The little geeky animal lover. How did I end up with someone like Eli Stone?”
“He’s lucky to have you,” I defended.
Maybe Eli was one of the richest men in the world, but nobody was too good for my best friend.
She rolled her eyes. “That’s what my family says, too. But it still seems surreal to be Jade Stone.”
I snorted. “You’ll get used to it.”
“I suppose I will. But I never want to take Eli for granted. What we have is . . . special.”
“You won’t, Jade. You’re not the type. You appreciate everything you have.”
“So do you,” she said confidently. “Just don’t let your fears rule your life.”
I nodded and then took a sip of my own coffee.
Unlike Jade, I didn’t have a husband who would walk through hell for me. But that didn’t mean that I couldn’t appreciate the fact that Aiden wanted me, even though I was still kind of a train wreck.
“I think that I’m afraid he’ll realize how much I’ve changed, and that will push him away,” I mused.
“Maybe you aren’t the same woman you were at eighteen, but none of us are, Skye. Experiences shape us all as we grow up. But you’re still the same sweet friend you’ve always been. Nothing has changed that. Okay, you bury your emotions more, but you have good reasons to do that. Trust takes time. I think after what you’ve been through, I’d prefer you were wary than to trust every single person you meet.”
“I just hope Aiden can be patient,” I said uncertainly.
“Um . . . patience has never been his strong suit,” she advised. “He’s always pretty much known what he wanted, and then he tries like hell to make it happen.”
I smiled because she’d just described her brother exactly. “He’s stubborn.”
“I’m not going to argue with that,” Jade said with a smirk.
“Talking about me?” Eli asked from the door.
Jade shot out of her chair and ran to hug her new husband like he’d been gone for months.
