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I laughed, already feeling more at ease. “Knox wants to tell him.”
“What do you want?” she asked, and I could tell she was doing her best not to react.
“I don’t want to tell Jude, but I want to be with Knox. And I’m tired of lying.”
“Holy shit. I told you he loves you.”
“You were right,” I said, both miserable and elated by that fact.
“Considering the whole yacht party, I’m guessing Knox wants to break the news to Jude soon,” she said.
“The sooner, the better.”
“Is he pressuring you?” Emmy asked, frowning.
“No. No.” I waved a hand through the air. “Nothing like that. I just…ugh. Once we do it, there’s no going back.”
“I know.” She nodded. “And I know you love Knox, but, well, doesn’t it seem a little fast?”
Emmy had always been so supportive of my relationship with Knox. So for her to ask if it was too soon was… Well, I hadn’t expected that response from her.
My shoulders bunched. “I thought you were happy for me. You said he was good for me.”
“He is. But how long have you even been together? How can you be sure this is what you’ll want long-term? Because if you’re going to tell Jude, you damn well better be sure.”
I gnashed my teeth. For once, I wasn’t running away, I was leaning in. And now Emmy was having second thoughts?
“I’ve known Knox for nearly two years,” I said, hating the defensive tone to my voice.
“And for a decent chunk of that time, you were dating his son. Then you didn’t have any contact with him for six months.”
“I thought you’d be happy for me. I thought you’d back me up. Not…try to talk me out of it.”
She placed her hand over mine and smiled. “I want to make sure you’re doing this on your timeline. Not Jude’s. Not Knox’s. But yours.”
“I am! This is what I want. I know it’s not the easiest path, but I love him and want to be with him.”
She sank back in her chair with a smile. “Now I believe you.”
I stared at her, mouth agape. “What? You were testing me?”
“No. But if you’re going to risk destroying his relationship with his son, you need to be certain. You need to believe that it will work out. Because your relationship is going to be put to the test.”
I didn’t appreciate Emmy’s tactic, but I knew she was right. Telling Jude was going to be a major test. But it wasn’t going to get any easier the longer we waited. In fact, the opposite was true.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
Irubbed Kendall’s shoulders, mostly to stop her from fussing over the table again. Any minute, Jude was supposed to arrive at the house to meet my girlfriend. After much discussion, Kendall and I had decided this was the best way to handle the situation. We didn’t want to have this conversation in a public place or make him feel ambushed on the yacht. Nor did we want to wait any longer to tell him.
I’d been counting down to this evening with equal parts excitement and dread. Kendall and I would no longer have to sneak around, but that meant telling Jude the truth about our relationship. I was anxious about how it would go, but I didn’t want to make Kendall more nervous.
I peered down at her. “You ready for this?”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to tell my ex that I’m dating his father.” The words were said in a teasing tone, but I could hear the concern and fear that lurked beneath it.
I felt it too.
But I also knew we couldn’t continue as we were. It wasn’t fair to Jude, and it wasn’t fair to us.
