"Really, Ellie? This coming from you?"
"I… Look, I support you," she said with a sigh. "But I'm protective too. Sometimes, when we're alone, we cling to people we think need us. We like being needed. But Beth, you deserve to be wanted. You deserve to be with someone you don't have to fix."
"I don't have to fix Daryl," I insisted.
She gave me a long look before glancing out of the windshield. The rest of the drive was filled with a heavy silence that neither of us seemed willing to break.
She kept her eyes on the road as she spoke. "I did a little digging into the guy. His father was abusive. At least, that's what police reports indicated though they could never prove it."
"You looked up police reports?" I asked, my voice tinged with surprise.
"I did a public records check to make sure he wasn't a criminal, Beth. Come on."
"And is he?"
She shook her head. "No, but?—"
"No buts!" I interrupted, frustration bubbling up. "I don't know why you're telling me all of this."
"Because you need to know who he is," she said softly. "Beforeyou fall in love with him. Beth, you see the good in everyone. I just… I don't want you to get hurt."
I looked away, staring out the window at the passing trees. "I'm already in love with him."
"What?" Ellie glanced over, her eyes wide.
"I'm already in love with him, Elle," I repeated, feeling a lump form in my throat. "So, I'm going to get hurt no matter what. Probably. Maybe. I'm hoping he'll let me in."
"And if he doesn't?" she asked quietly.
I shrugged, forcing a smile. "I'll bake a bunch of cookies and eat the crap out of them and then write the saddest songs ever, get YouTube famous, and make him regret breaking my heart in the first place."
She laughed softly; the tension easing from her shoulders. "I could get behind that. Especially the cookies."
We fell into a companionable silence after that, both lost in our thoughts as we neared Daryl's place again. The sun had risen higher now, casting long shadows across the ground.
I stayed in the car for a moment, letting everything sink in. In didn't care what people thought. I didn't care that Daryl was older, or that he was abused or that his brother was a petty criminal. He was more than all of that. I knew it. Deep down, I knew it.
"Thanks for the ride," I said softly before getting out of the car.
"You know I'm here for you, right?" she asked.
"Always."
She smiled. "Call me if I need to pick you up."
"Will do," I replied.
I took a deep breath and gathered the bags from the backseat. Ellie watched me silently as I walked up to the door, her words still echoing in my mind.
I watched her pull out for a moment before turning back to Daryl's door. With a determined nod to myself, I took a breath. As much as I appreciated Ellie's concern, she didn't understand the connection I felt with Daryl—the way he looked at me sometimes, like he was seeing something he couldn't quite believe was real.
I wasn't going to give up on this feeling just because people didn't agree with the aesthetics.
If Daryl didn't want to be with me, fine, that was his choice. But I wasn't going to give up on him.
And I wasn't going to give up on my heart, either.
Chapter16
