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He thought back to what she was saying and she wasn’t wrong.
“It took you a long time to accept help or ask me for anything,” he said.
“But I did it. I changed. Proving to you it can be done. You know why I’m the way I am. Not only me and my mother but Colleen too. But then I told myself I didn’t want Josie to be that way. She had to learn the balance that I never had in life. She’s learning it from having you and your family in her life.”
It felt like his flatbed truck had run over him with those words.
Everything she was saying was the truth.
In the six months they’d been dating, Avery had come along a lot further than he had in terms of changing.
“I’m glad you feel that way,” he said. “That you see it. We all love you and Josie.”
“Then why can’t you believe what I’m telling you? That I love you and love who you are. You can’t be someone you’re not. You’re never going to be anyone other than Carter Bond. You’re quiet and keep to yourself. You love your dogs more than you love some other people.”
“Dogs are more loyal,” he said.
“And you cracked a joke even though you didn’t smile. Listen, Carter. I love what we’ve got. I want more of it. But we can’t have a healthy relationship if we aren’t honest with each other. If we aren’t honest with ourselves.”
“We can’t,” he agreed.
“I want Josie to have things in life I didn’t get. That she wouldn’t have gotten if Colleen were alive either. Colleen was as jaded as me when it came to someone helping her. That meant a man. I’d like to think that I learned to see and do what is best for Josie even if that was hard for me to do it.”
She was right again. “What do you need from me?”
“I want you to be true to who you are. Josie is a kid. Kids don’t see the things we do. She sees you and your dogs and how you are with me and how you treat her. She loves you for you. Why would you want to be anyone else?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s hard to break habits. For years I’ve always said I know who I am and if no one else likes it, too damn bad.”
“Words, Carter. Actions that you try to show, but you don’t believe them, do you?”
“I do,” he said. “I always did. But when it came to women is when I didn’t. Then I met you and I wondered what you could see in me.”
“I’ve told you what I see and what I love. Things I don’t want you to change.”
He smiled. “That seems easy enough.”
“But I do want you to talk things over with me. Don’t make decisions without me. I can handle a lot on my own, but I’m coming to realize that maybe I don’t need to.”
“I can do that,” he said, reaching for her. She went into his arms for a hug.
“Good. Relationships are a work in progress. I don’t want to get complacent.”
“I don’t know that you could ever be complacent,” he said, laughing. “And I should have never doubted that you could handle things on your own. I should know better. What you did back there was great.”
“I did it and was able to pull it off because I knew you had my back. You and your family. Just remember that.” She leaned up and kissed him on the lips.
“I don’t think you’re going to let me forget it. You’re kind of scary when you’re mad or worked up.”
She laughed and squeezed him tighter. “Don’t forget that either.”
“Never,” he said.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
“This is so much fun,”Avery said to her mother the first week of August. “I’m so glad you made the trip out.”
