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The front door closed, and I continued to stare at it. I blinked twice, and then I was moving. I practically ripped the door off the hinges as I yanked it open and rushed out to stop her. I didn’t grab her arm this time. Instead, I jumped in front of her to block her path.
“Don’t you dare tell me that you don’t feel what I feel, Nolan. I know you do. I know you care about me as much as I care about you.”
“Brad, move.”
“Nolan.” I took her face in my hands and noticed that her eyes were glassy as if she were fighting the urge to cry. Jesus, were we already going to get to that ‘cry together’ part? “Baby, I know you care. I know you are afraid that you will let someone into your life, and they will let you down. I amnotthat man. I will not run from a problem. I know that it could be tough blending our families, but harder things have happened.Wecould do it. I want to do it.”
She blinked at me, and a tear slipped out and eased down her cheek. “You’re right, Brad. I do care, but I care more about my girls than I do about you. They come first—they will always come first. What we have—what we had, was fun. It was great, and the sex was incredible, but I can’t give you more. Please understand that. I have been honest with you from the beginning. I can’t be whatyouwant, and you are not what I need.”
Not what she needed? I let my hands drop from her face as the pain of her words stabbed through my veins. “I’m not what you need? You are trying to tell me that there is another man out there that can give you more? Yeah, maybe they can give you more things, but they cannot give you their heart. Not like I can. They can’t give you understanding—not as I can! They can’t give you an understanding extended family, not like I can!”
“Oh, don’t you dare use your family in this right now! This has nothing to do with your family, Brad. We are talking aboutus. God, Brad! Don’t destroy the friendship that we built. Don’t make it awkward between us. Don’t make me have toavoidyou.”
I startled back slightly. “You’d do that?”
She shook her brown hair back from her beautiful face and lifted her chin. The sadness in her brown eyes was gone as resignation filled them with a fierceness that I had to admire. “If I had to, yes. I would.”
“Wow!” I exclaimed as I stepped back. “I thought I knew you better, but I guess I don’t know you that well after all.”
“I guess you don’t.” She stepped around me, and this time, I let her leave. I watched her get into her car, and she glanced my way briefly before she put it in reverse and backed into the street. A moment later, she was gone.
I sighed as I shook my head, and then I went into my house and gently closed the door. Wes was right. I should have waited until after sex to have this conversation. Maybe that might have had her in a better mood.
I sank onto the sofa and stared at her wineglass. Or maybe it wouldn’t have. Nolan had been honest in saying that she couldn’t give me anything other than a good time. She had been brutally honest in saying that once her kids came back, it was over.
If we hadn’t had this talk tonight, would that have been the case? Or would we possibly have built something strong enough to get past that?
I guess it didn’t matter now since I’d never find that out.
* * *
Another week went by, and I hadn’t heard a word from Nolan. I’d heard plentyabouther, but the two of us hadn’t spoken—not even one single text message.
Milton told me the master bathroom was done, and he was designing the other two now. Chester had worked on her foyer and shared that one of his buddies, Ralph, was redoing her porch. None of them asked me what had happened and why I hadn’t been around to see the place or Nolan.
At the last family dinner, I learned that Cameron and Kayley had helped her install her cabinets in the kitchen, and the countertops were being delivered this next week. Kayley never said anything directly about Nolan but talked about the work as if it were a project another client had commissioned.
I also didn’t ask for further details.
I was working late on the jobsite when I heard a car pull up out front. I figured it was the homeowner coming to check on the progress. They had mentioned that they might stop by.
Wes’s voice rang down the hallway as I worked on the drywall in the kitchen. “I’m back here,” I called out.
His footsteps echoed down the hall over the plywood floor. “Hey, it’s looking pretty good. This is a nice neighborhood.”
“It is a nice neighborhood. The owners got the property for a steal because the developers needed to get moving on another development—hence the reason I’m building it and not them. What brings you over this way?”
“I was dropping Marisol off at Mom and Dad’s and wanted to pass something along to you.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
He held a stack of papers out to me, and I took them. On the front page, it said, ‘What to expect with ASD.’ I lifted my eyes to him. “What’s this for?”
“That is information about Nolan’s kids. Kayley told me what they are dealing with, and I pulled information about it for you. I also gave you several websites you could look through and the phone numbers of a friend and specialist for each condition.”
“Why would you give this to me?”
Wes looked at me like I was stupid. “You know, you once stepped in when I wouldn’t listen and helped me get Charlotte back in my life. If it weren’t for you getting involved, I never would have found out the truth or gotten her back.” He paused. “I’m returning the favor.”
