Page 16 of All I Feel

“What? What’s going on?”

“I can’t believe I’m going to tell my brother’s best friend about this,” she murmured.

Unable to stop myself, I reached across the table and placed my hand on her arm again. “I already told you that I’m your friend, too.”

“Okay. If that’s true, do you promise not to share this with him?”

“Absolutely. If that’s what you want, you’ve got my promise.”

Tessa appeared to be reassured by my promise, but for a few seconds, she didn’t say a single word. Taking in her appearance, the way she was holding her body, and how her eyes were darting around, it was clear Tessa was trying to sort through something, to come to grips with whatever it was.

“I wasn’t lying last night,” she finally began. “I meant what I said about Ryan. I thought he was the one, and everything was perfect between us. And last weekend, after us being together for eight months, I gave him something I can never get back. Something that clearly meant more to me than it did to him.”

Not even an experienced professional poker player could’ve remained unaffected by what Tessa had just shared. How I hadn’t faltered worse in remaining as neutral as possible to the news was a mystery to me. “Tessa, babe, I’m so sorry.”

“That’s what it was, wasn’t it? He did all of that—making me believe I was special and that he cared—just to get that from me. How could I have been so stupid?”

For all the effort she’d made to keep her emotions in check, Tessa was losing her grip on them. The more she sat with the realization and kept talking it out, the worse things were getting. Tears had finally escaped and were spilling down her cheeks.

I couldn’t take it any longer. Seeing her so upset, wanting to comfort her, the table was an obstacle that didn’t need to be between us. I stood, rounded it, and slid in beside her. Tessa instantly latched on, curling her body into mine and burying her face in my chest. I just held her tightly, wrapping her in my arms and whispering soothing words against her hair while she quietly sobbed.

More and more, I was glad I’d decided to pick her up and bring her out for breakfast. Though she might’ve done better with some privacy being at my place instead of a diner, it was best we hadn’t stayed at her place. Because if this guy had intended to show up at her home this morning while I was there, I didn’t trust I wouldn’t have beaten him to a bloody pulp for hurting her like this. Even days from now, I didn’t think it’d be safe for him if I ran into him somewhere.

When Tessa pulled her face back from my chest, she swiped at the tears on her cheeks. “I’m sorry.” She dabbedthe mascara beneath her eyes with a napkin. “This is embarrassing.”

“There’s nothing for you to be embarrassed about, Tessa.”

“I’m crying in the middle of breakfast at a diner because I learned my boyfriend never really cared about me and only wanted one thing from me. How is any of that not utterly humiliating?”

Another tear escaped, and I reached out to brush it away with the pad of my thumb. Keeping my hand at the side of her head, the tips of my fingers touching her soft hair, I said, “I know this is probably difficult for you to accept right now, since it’s still so fresh, but what he did says everything about him. Not you. I understand it hurts now, but once you get some time and distance between yourself and this mess, you’ll see that I’m right. You didn’t do a single thing wrong, and you have no reason to feel ashamed.”

Tessa pressed the side of her head into my hand, my fingers instinctively gripping her hair a bit more firmly as she said, “I’m not sure if this is ever going to get better.”

“It will,” I promised. “I’ll make sure you get there.”

A small smile spread across her face. “If I haven’t said it already, then let me say it now. Thank you for being such a good friend to me, Ace. I’m lucky to have you.”

I didn’t tell her that I believed if I was going to be lucky, it would mean getting her through this to the other side so I could show her what it meant to be with someone who’d cherish the ground she walked on. Lucky for me would’ve been realizing long before last night how much Tessa meant to me.

“You’re welcome, Princess.” My eyes lingered on hers fora moment before I dropped my hand from the side of her head. “Are you finished with your egg sandwich?”

She nodded.

“Do you want to help me with this Belgian waffle, then we’ll go?”

Smiling, she said, “Only if you douse it in syrup and powdered sugar.”

Laughter spilled out of me as I reached for the plate and toppings. “She likes her sugar.”

“Like you didn’t already know.”

Warmth spread through me at that. Because she was right. I did know. But for some terrible reason, I’d ignored all that I knew about her until now.

After how things had gone for Tessa at breakfast, I decided the best thing to do was to head back to my place. Tessa remained silent as I pulled up, parked, and led her to the front door. But the second we were inside, she asked, “What’s going on?”

I kicked off my sneakers at the front door. “Nothing.”

“Okay. So, why are we here?”