Page 164 of My Real Love Affair

Despite everything, I almost smiled. “I have more billionaire problems.”

“Okay. Let’s break this down.” She pulled me over to my couch and sat us both down. “You want marriage and kids. He’s never thought about either. Is that accurate?”

“Yes.”

“And this is a dealbreaker for you?”

I chewed on my lower lip. “I don’t know. Maybe. Yes. I don’t know.”

“Super clear.”

“Cleo, I’ve always wanted to be a mother. Always. It’s not negotiable. I want to create a home. A family. A life built around love and support and traditions.”

Cleo’s brow furrowed. “And Austin doesn’t want that?”

“He says he’s never wanted it. That kids gross him out. He says he’s always seen himself living the bachelor life.”

“Okay.” She nodded.

“And it’s not just the kids thing.” The words were tumbling out now, all the thoughts I’d been trying to suppress. “He has issues with his family. Like, serious issues. His relationship with his father is complicated and painful. His brothers don’t take him seriously. There’s so much baggage there. When I say he’s the black sheep, I’m not just saying it.”

“Everyone has family baggage.”

“I know. But I’ve always imagined being part of a close, supportive, loving family. Having family dinners and holiday traditions and people who show up for each other. And Austin’s family is so fractured and dysfunctional. It would be like inviting drama into my life. Not just basic drama. Big drama. Like even if we had a family, our children would never be on the inside. They would be ostracized. I would be ostracized.”

“So you’re saying Austin comes with too much baggage?”

“No. Yes.” I struggled to articulate it. “I’m saying the risks feel really high. He’s never thought about kids before. How can I trust that he’ll eventually get there with me? What if I stay with him, fall even more in love with him, and five years from now he still doesn’t want what I want?”

“Then you would have wasted five years?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” I put my head in my hands. “I’m so confused.”

Cleo was quiet again. “I think you’re overthinking this.”

“How am I overthinking this? We want fundamentally different things.”

“You literally just started dating, like, two weeks ago?”

“On the yacht. Yes.”

“So you’ve been officially together for less than two weeks, and you’re already expecting him to have his entire life planned out and aligned with yours?” Cleo shrugged. “Sounds like overthinking.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“That’s exactly what you’re doing.” Cleo’s voice was her usual blunt tone. “I love you. You’re my best friend. But you have this tendency to want everything figured out right now. To have a plan for every possible future scenario. And life doesn’t work that way. Make a plan and God laughs.”

“So I should just ignore this huge incompatibility?”

“I’m saying maybe it’s not as huge as you think. Maybe give it some time. See how things develop. You’re both young. You have time.”

“I thought you hated him?” I asked, eyeing her skeptically.

“I don’t hate him. I don’t particularlylikehim, either, but I also don’t think one conversation about kids—one conversation where he was probably caught off guard and being brutally honest—is enough reason to throw away this thing right when it’s only beginning.”

“Even if what we have won’t lead where I want it to go?”

“You don’t know that. You’re acting like you just boarded the Titanic.” She grabbed my hand. “Look, I get it. Planning is your thing. Knowing where you’re headed is your thing. But relationships don’t work like that. They’re messy andunpredictable and sometimes people change their minds about things they thought they were certain about.”