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Grace held up her hands. “It’s too soon to jump to conclusions. You might want to move on from him before he changes his mind.”
It felt like there was a vise around my chest that tightened as I went over the details of what happened. “It hurts.”
“I know.” Grace hugged me, holding me through another wave of tears.
“Why can’t I stop crying?” I asked miserably as she handed me yet another tissue.
“Do you love him?” Grace asked gently.
I nodded. “I told him so when we were arguing. When he said we were a mistake.” The words felt bitter on my tongue.
Grace squeezed me tighter. “I want to say he’s an asshole, but I think he means well. He feels responsible for his family, and that’s not a bad thing.”
“Only when it interferes with the rest of his life,” I said bitterly.
“I didn’t say he’s handling this well, or even correctly. But his heart’s in the right place.”
I lifted my face from her shoulder. “And Addy and I are just collateral damage?”
Grace loosened her arms. “Only you can decide how you feel about this situation. You control your feelings and reactions.”
I wiped my cheeks with the tissue for what I hoped was the last time. “I want to get a handle on my emotions because Addy could come home at any time, and she can’t see me like this.”
“What do you need to do to feel better? Shower and then some food?” Grace asked, and I was grateful she was here for me.
I nodded. “That sounds good.”
“You shower. I’ll scrounge up some food.” Grace stood and made her way to the kitchen.
When I was halfway up the stairs, Grace called out, “You survived Gary walking away; you can handle anything.”
I continued up the steps without responding, hoping she was right. I’d need every ounce of strength I had over the next few days to survive Knox walking away.
I stood under the steady stream of water, going over everything Knox said to me. Then I flipped it to something positive. Our relationship wasn’t a mistake. I wasn’t a distraction. I loved him. I was there for him. I repeated the new mantras until I believed them.
Then I stepped out of the shower, dried off, and dressed in jeans and a nice sweater. Even if there was a pit in my stomach, I felt better when I took care of myself and dressed nicely.
“Much better,” Grace said when I joined her in the kitchen.
“I feel better, too.”
She brought me an omelet with avocado slices on top.
“Thank you. This looks wonderful.”
“Do you want to do anything today?” Grace asked as she sat across from me.
“I wrapped presents for Addy but realized I wanted to buy things for a few other people.”
“You want to go shopping on Main Street in Annapolis? They have the cutest shops.”
“That would be perfect.” I wanted to get a present for Lori and my parents. It would give me something else to focus on.
“You’re going to be okay,” Grace said as I ate.
I didn’t answer her because I knew she was right. I’d survived much worse than this. I was raising Addy on my own and handling Gary. I could rise above anything. When Knox realized his error, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about anything.
Chapter 22
