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I finish off my first slice of pizza and the topic changes to Sydney’s job hunt and Rowan’s photography business.
“How are things going with you and Jasper?” Sydney asks as we clean up our dishes.
“Um, pretty good,” I hedge but they catch on to my hesitation.
“What’s going on? You guys seemed so good at the grand opening,” Sydney says and Rowan nods.
“They are. I don’t know. I think that I’m in love with him.”
“You are in love with him,” Sydney says and I huff out a laugh.
“I know,” I admit.
“So, what’s the problem then? He seems just as into you as you are in him,” Rowan says.
“I’m not sure that he’s staying in Rosewood. He, uh, he had a really rough childhood here. I don’t want to get into details because they aren’t mine to share, but let’s just say that I can’t blame him for not wanting to stick around.”
Sydney and Rowan can both read between the lines and they blink back tears, sharing surprised and sorrowful looks.
“I don’t want to get too attached to him if he’s going to leave soon,” I explain.
“You don’t think that he would stay to be with you?” Sydney asks and I shrug.
“Would you want to leave to be with him?” Rowan asks.
“I don’t know. I just opened my nursery here, my mom is here, and I grew up here. This place is my home and I don’t really want to leave.”
They nod and Rowan heads to the kitchen to grab the bakery box.
“Maybe he’ll surprise you,” Sydney suggests but I’m not sure.
I don’t really blame him for not liking it here, but it seems like a bad reason to end a relationship because I don’t want to leave this small town.
Jasper is the only man that I’ve ever been interested in and he’s damn near perfect. He supports me, makes me feel stronger, constantly tells me how beautiful and amazing I am. He protected me from bullies when I was younger and kept an eye on me, all while dealing with his shitty home life and keeping his brother safe.
Is it selfish of me to ask him to stay in this town with me if it’s only going to remind him of his childhood and cause him pain? If the roles were reversed, I know that he wouldn’t hesitate to leave with me.
“You need to talk to him,” Sydney says gently and I know that she’s right.
“Yeah, you’re going to spin yourself in circles until you can figure this out. Talk this out with Jasper and then you guys can make a plan to move forward.”
I nod. I know that they’re right. Now I just need to work up the courage to have that conversation.
Part of me wants to bury my head in the sand. Things are good right now. Why should I rock the boat?
Rowan nods and she looks like she’s about to fall asleep on her feet. Being a single mom has to be exhausting and I know that we should let her get some sleep.
“Why don’t you let me watch Harper tomorrow,” I suggest. “You can sleep in or take a bath or something and I’ll take her into the nursery with me.”
“Are you sure?” Rowan asks, looking grateful and I nod.
“I can pick her up and hang out at the nursery too,” Sydney says and we make a plan to have her pick up Harper and come hang out at The Garden Goddess for a few hours.
“Thanks, guys,” Rowan says and we hug her goodbye before we head downstairs.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sydney says and I wave as I head over to my truck.
The streets are deserted and it doesn’t take me long to make it home. I change and get ready for bed but I can’t seem to fall asleep.
