Did I shower her with so many gifts that she fell in love with the life I could give her more than me?
Was it always about the money?
I groan and cover my face with my hands.
Oh god. The proposal. She saw it all.
She’s probably sitting at home, laughing at how she almost had me.
No, what am I thinking?
She wouldn’t do that, but then again, I didn’t think she’d trick me into loving her for my money either.
“Hey, man.” Winston pats me on the back as he takes the stool next to me.
“How are you holding up?” Tripp asks, taking the other side.
I snicker. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Three shots of Tito’s, please.” Winston motions to the bartender. The girl nods, and I catch her nametag.
Sky.
Damn it. A three-letter S name. Oh, Syd. Why don’t you want me for me?
“She had the paperwork ready, you guys. She was ready for me to be gone. Until the baby got here, of course. Then what? She was going to fight me for full custody and take me for even more money?”
My friends share a look of doubt.
“I think it was a pretty heated moment that needs a lot of discussion before anyone makes any rash decision or jumps to any more conclusions,” Winston says.
Thank you, Mr. Obvious.
“I may not know Sydney very well, but I really don’t believe those were her intentions or are . . .ever,” he adds.
“This is the worst day ever.”
“Hey, look, you two just need to talk.”
“I’m afraid to go right now. My heart hurts. If I look at her, I’ll just see someone who . . . who . . . I just don’t think I’m in a good place to go home and talk to her. I’ll probably say something I’ll regret, and then we will be even worse off than we are right now.”
“Honestly, there will never be a right time to get the conversation over with,” Tripp says. “So, you can either sit here and keep talking to the two of us or you can go home and talk to Syd.”
“What if . . . what if she isn’t there? Or what if she is and all the proposal stuff is still up?”
That would be awkward.
“I won’t lie. It’s probably still up. And if it is, maybe that’s a good sign,” Winston adds.
“How?”
“I do not know. But if she’s already cleaned up all your hard work and gotten rid of any evidence of the night,that’sa bad thing.”
“Those comments aren’t helping,” Winston scolds Tripp as the exact thought runs through my mind.
They start to bicker back and forth on the best advice for me, but I’m not really listening. I want to get home and talk to Syd no matter how much more it might hurt, but I can’t bring myself to do it just yet. I order a glass of water and chug it.
My heart feels like a weight has crushed it.
