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“I can, but there’s no guarantee that she feels the same or wants the same things.”
“She wants a good man who loves her and her daughter.”
“And you think I’m that guy?” In the past, my brothers acted like being a good guy was bad. But maybe Sam had changed his thinking since he met and fell in love with Alice.
“Any woman would be lucky to have you, and only a smart one will grab on with both hands. Is Natalie a smart woman?”
“I think so,” I said around the lump in my throat. I needed to tell her how I felt.
“You need to go after what you want. No woman wants a man who feels threatened by her ex. She wants a strong man who can deal with whatever comes your way. And you deal with it together. You’re a team.”
“Is that how it is with you and Alice?” I was thinking of the times that Felicia popped into town, wanting to see her daughter.
“I’m sure there were moments where she might have felt unsure of her position, but that was when she was my nanny. Now that we’re officially together, we’re stronger than ever. She doesn’t doubt how I feel about her, but then I don’t give her a reason to.”
Sam’s position struck me hard in the chest. His explanation was something I could easily understand. “You’re saying I need to show her how I feel.”
He clasped my shoulder. “And never let her forget it.”
“I can do that.” I just needed to tap into the guy I was in my twenties. The one who had no problems showing his emotions.
“If she goes back to a man who cheated on her and left her and her daughter, then she’s not a woman you want anyway.”
Pain sliced through my chest. I didn’t want to think about Natalie doing that. But Sam was right. If she was the woman who was still emotionally tied to her ex, then she wasn’t ready to move on with me. That had nothing to do with me. Why hadn’t I seen that before? My last girlfriend wasn’t ready to move on. It had nothing to do with me being unworthy. It was her issue.
“Whatever happened in the past is on your exes. Not you.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m getting that now.”
Sam smiled. “Took you long enough.”
“You guys always made fun of me for wearing my heart on my sleeve.” I hated that analogy, but looking back, it was accurate.
“In the right relationship, that’s how it is. You want the person to know you love them and will do anything for them. In the wrong relationship, you’ll get hurt. Which one is this?”
“I think it’s the right kind.” As long as she didn’t go back to Carter. I couldn’t help but think that this was just the start of Carter meddling in our lives. “I don’t like him showing up here.”
“For your sake, I hope it’s a short visit. I can’t imagine he’s changed his ways.”
“She said he’s never been that involved. It’s why they didn’t have more kids.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about. You already love Delaney.”
“I do.” That was easy to admit.
“Then, again, you have nothing to worry about. Be confident in your relationship and what you have.”
That was the hard part, but it was worth making the effort. I couldn’t imagine my future without Natalie and Delaney in it.
“How’d Delaney like her new room?” Sam said.
“She loved it. Thanks for helping out.”
“You’d do the same for me. Now give me a hand out here. You need to get your mind off everything.”
I agreed because I needed physical labor to clear my head, to stop thinking about how Carter looked sitting across from Natalie at that coffee shop.
CHAPTER19
