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Sam cleared his throat. “Sounds like every new business owner ever. Why didn’t you try to help instead of giving her an ultimatum?”
“I did. She wasn’t listening.” Had I done the right thing? Tyler and Sam were making it seem like I hadn’t. I stood, stretching my neck and back from sitting in the cramped position for so long. “I told her how I felt. Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”
Sam dipped his chin. “You told her you loved her and then walked out.”
I gripped the back of my neck. “You should be proud of me for saying my piece.”
“Why would you tell a woman you loved her and then break up with her?” Tyler asked, genuinely confused, but then he’d never been in a serious relationship.
“That’s rich, coming from you.” He prided himself on dating women and keeping things casual. He claimed to leave them satisfied, but I wasn’t so sure.
“Sure, throw stones, but I’m not the one who broke up with the love of my life,” Tyler muttered.
“How do you know that’s what she is?” Irritation had my shoulders tightening.
“Isn’t she?” Sam asked gently. He had more experience with relationships and probably knew what he was talking about. But I wasn’t ready to concede I might have screwed up.
“The ball’s in her court,” I said stubbornly.
“Why did you run after saying how you felt?” Tyler asked.
“I don’t know. I was afraid of what she’d say, I guess. I haven’t had the best track record in these situations.” When I said I’d loved women in the past, it was the beginning of the end. They’d start to pull away.
“What if she felt the same? What if she wanted to work through it?” Sam asked.
“There’s nothing stopping her, but she hasn’t reached out.” I rubbed the ache in my chest. She obviously didn’t feel the same way.
“So, you’re just going to walk away?”
“According to you, I already did.” I wasn’t sure what Tyler was getting at. “If she felt the same, she could have told me, but she hasn’t.”
Sam shook his head. “What if she’s doing what you asked? Getting her shit together first?”
“I don’t want to get my hopes up.” It was better to assume the worst so I wouldn’t be disappointed.
“You’re still trying to protect yourself. When are you going to learn?” Sam asked.
I leaned against the countertop. “I thought I was being honest about how I felt and what I wanted.”
Tyler chuckled. “That was fine, right up until you walked out.”
“I thought I’d give her an ultimatum and let her make a decision.”
Sam shook his head. “Relationships are about work and compromise. Not threats and ultimatums.”
“It wasn’t like that—” I broke off, trying to remember how I’d handled the situation.
“Are you sure about that?” Sam asked.
Normally, his tone would have irked me, but I hadn’t given Natalie an opportunity to respond. In fact, she’d seemed shocked by my words. I didn’t give her time to process anything before I was out the door. I was in survival mode.
“You can still fix this,” Tyler said.
“Why do you care?” I asked him, irritation lining my tone.
Tyler let his arms fall to his side as Rocky danced at his feet. “Because as much as we teased you over the years, you deserve this. You deserve to be with a good woman who loves you back. You deserve the house and the white picket fence. A family and a dog.”
“You deserve it all,” Sam agreed.
