AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re closing yourself off. Trust me, I recognize the signs. I did it for years, pretended I didn’t have desires because I didn’t trust my judgment.”
I didn’t know the whole story with Alice, but there was some guilt about how she’d treated her sister, almost breaking up Elle and Gray. She’d tried to make amends by watching their daughter, Amelia, when she was little. Sam mentioned she didn’t think she was worthy of a good man like him. She didn’t see herself as a good person. It caused some friction between the two of them before she got over it. “How do you get past it?”
Alice smiled sadly. “You forgive the people who hurt you, and more importantly, you forgive yourself.”
I ignored the latter because I was not in the right space for that. “How do you excuse their behavior? If Rae thought she’d get back with her ex, why did she string me along?” I’d felt like such a fool.
“You’re not excusing their behavior. You forgive them to free yourself.”
I’d never heard it explained that way before, and it sounded strangely enticing. Before I could ask what that looked like, Maggie ran into the room. “Are we going home to watch the movie now?”
“We promised her a movie if she’d come over to see you off,” Sam said with an apologetic smile as he followed her into the room.
“I see how it is. You have to be bribed to come to Uncle Mac’s house.”
Maggie climbed onto the bed and held her arms up to me. I couldn’t refuse her, so I lifted her into my arms, ignoring her suspiciously sticky hands. Then she patted my cheek. “I love you, Uncle Mac.”
“I love you too, sweetness.”
She smiled widely. “You’re the best uncle ever.”
It was a running joke between Tyler and me. She usually only said it when one of us was present. “Don’t let Uncle Tyler hear you say that.”
She squirmed to get down. “Oh, he’s my favorite too.”
She hopped out of the room while we laughed.
“Kids are the best,” Alice said, following her out.
“They sure are, aren’t they?” Sam asked with a knowing look.
“Not you too. Alice already gave me a hard time.”
“Alice sees herself in you. She wants to help you avoid the heartache she went through.”
“I’m doing just fine on my own, thank you very much.”
“By closing yourself off?”
I growled as I escaped my bedroom. “How am I closing myself off when I’m taking Delaney to the dance? I took them out to dinner the other night, and I invited them to go skiing.”
“Oh, so you’re dating?” Sam asked.
Alice stopped braiding Maggie’s hair to wait for my answer. “Are you?”
“Natalie knows that’s not what I want.” I’d shut those fantasies down, and I had no desire to open myself to that possibility.
Sam sat next to Alice and Maggie. “You’re friends?”
“I guess? I just want to be there for them, especially Delaney. Her dad’s a worthless—”
Sam covered Maggie’s ears. “Don’t finish that sentence.”
Maggie shook her finger at me. “No swearing, Uncle Mac. You’re going to get into trouble.”
She was too cute for words. My heart ached for the millionth time for what I couldn’t have. For what I’d never have. I could be close, but it wouldn’t ever be mine. Maggie was Sam’s, and Delaney was Natalie’s.
I gathered up the bouquet and the corsage. “I’d better get going. I have another princess waiting for me.”
