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Felicity covered her mouth. “Oh my.”
“Yeah. So he opened up a bit in the car, but then true to form, he shut down after that.” I stared blankly at Eloise playing by her mother’s feet. “I get why he went quiettoday. But he’s been standoffish overall, even before this.”
“That’s strange. I thought things were going well?”
“We were getting along for a while. He even came out to a pub one night with the work crew last month. It was late by the time we got out, so I spent that night in the guest room at his apartment in London.”
Surprise crossed her face. “Really?”
“I was shocked he offered that, too. He’s so private about his personal space. But that night...” I sighed, unsure what I should be admitting right now.
Felicity searched my eyes eagerly. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Nothing crazy.” I shrugged. “I just might have…divulged a little too much, and I think that’s why he’s been avoiding me.”
She leaned in curiously, and I ended up telling her what I’d admitted to Sig about feeling more aroused since the pregnancy. I told her I feared he thought I’d been insinuating something.
She had a bit of a different theory. “Trust me, it wasn’t what you said that freaked him out. It was probably his reaction to it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think, much to his chagrin, he likes you, and it’s making things complicated.”
“What do you meanlikesme?”
“I think he likes you as a person, but I imagine he’s attracted to you in other ways.”
My heart fluttered, even if I didn’t believe it. “What are you basing that on?”
“Several things. When people are scared, they retreat. And you mentioned him being protective toward you when it came to that guy at work. He wouldn’t care about that unless it affected him personally.”
“I think he’s protecting his unborn child—not me. I’m just a…vessel for something that’s important to him.”
“Don’t fool yourself, Abby. You’re a beautiful woman. Sig is not blind. And I think he genuinely likes you as a person, too. You’re the whole package. How could he not like you?”
Her opinion on the matter reminded me of what Sig had said about me not being the kind of woman a man would want to share. I hadn’t confessed that part to her. Could she be right? Was he attracted to me? Was that the reason he’d been staying away?
“I do have a crush on him,” I admitted, my cheeks tingling. “I don’t want to. And it’s a bit embarrassing for me to admit. It doesn’t help this situation.” I blew some air out. “I haven’t told anyone, not even Lavinia.”
“Well, thank you for confiding in me.” Felicity smiled. “I can completely understand. He’s a handsome, charismatic guy, albeit complex.”
“Developing feelings for that man would be the most futile thing I’ve ever done. He’d never cross the line with me.”
Felicity looked away as she seemed to ponder that. “I agree that he wouldn’t come around to the idea very easily. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t want to, if things were different.”
“This situation was a lot easier when I thought he was a jerk.”
She laughed. “Let me tell you a secret about Sig. He comes across as almost heartless sometimes because he doesn’t express his feelings. But he’s just the opposite. He has thebiggestheart out of everyone.”
“I’ve definitely figured out there’s more than meets the eye.”
“He also doesn’t always know what’s good for him,” she added. “He’s convinced himself he’s better off living the way he is, keeping everyone at a distance. But I know he’s craving happiness. He didn’t know what true happiness was until he met Britney. But now hedoesknow. And I think you being here has made him feel things he hasn’t in a long time. That’s why he’s taken a step back. He doesn’t know what to do with it all.” She sighed. “But don’t let fear stop you from trying to connect with him. He’s not a brick wall. He’s more like…” Felicity paused. “An onion.” She laughed. “You have to peel back the layers to get to what’s inside.”
Huh.“Yeah, well, onions will ultimately have you in tears. That’s my fear. I didn’t come to England to get hurt. I haveonetask, you know? I don’t want to fuck anything up by getting emotionally attached to him—or worse, the baby. As you can see, that already happened today.”
“I wouldn’t be any different. You’re not a machine, Abby. You’re human.” She began to braid Eloise’s hair. “We can’t help how we feel, can we? Feelings can’t be controlled. When I first met Leo, I was certain we could never be together because we were from two different worlds. That didn’t stop me from falling for him. We impose rules on ourselves that the heart doesn’t recognize. You know?”
“I do,” I murmured. Boy, was I grateful to have someone I could trust to confide in. “Thanks for letting me vent.” I exhaled. “I feel like all I’ve done is talk about myself. How are you feeling? You don’t have too much longer to go now.”
