“Everything. Yelling at you yesterday. Treating you like an outcast when all you’re doing is following your own path.”
She holds my gaze, tears forming in her eyes. She blinks them away and gives me a small smile. “Well. That’s unexpected.” She swipes her fingers under her eyes and gives her head a tiny shake. “Thank you. That means a lot.” After taking in a breath, she says, “What made you want to say all of that?”
“Because you were right.”
She tilts her head to the side. “About what?”
“Everything,” I say. And that’s when I start to cry.
“Oh, Claire.” Her arms wrap around my body, and as the tears break free, all the emotions I’ve kept trapped in a secret place in my heart come rushing out.
“I’m in love with him,” I finally manage to say between sobs, my voice muffled against her shoulder.
She pats my back. “Okay. If you’re really in love with him, you’ll figure out how to make your marriage work.”
“Not Zach,” I wail. “Ryan. I loveRyan.” I can’t believe I’m saying the words out loud, but now my heart pounds the wordyes, yes, yes.
Annie pulls back slowly, keeping her hands on my arms. “Ryan. Your best friend at work.”
I nod, miserable. “Am I a terrible person?”
She presses her lips together. “Did you cheat on Zach?”
“No,” I say firmly. “I would never. But I think I’ve denied my feelings for Ryan this whole time. So if that’s cheating, then…”
Annie shakes her head. “Maybe you should’ve figured this outbeforeyou got engaged, but you’re not married yet. It’s still okay to back out now.”
I nod, dread coming over me. “They’re going to be so mad.”
Annie shrugs. “Maybe. But better that than promising the rest of your life to the wrong person.”
I nearly shudder, realizing how close I’ve come to condemning myself to a lifetime of misery and disappointment.
“Do you realize what you just said?They’regoing to be so mad.” She pauses, letting it sink in. “Are you more worried about Mom and Dad than you are about Zach?”
I grimace. “Yeah. Pretty messed up, huh?”
“A little. But I understand.” She twists her lips to the side. “I should apologize, too. I wasn’t really thinking about anyone other than myself when I left. Now that I see how it’s affected you—and how hurt you, Mom, and Dad were… I should’ve been braver. Running away wasn’t the right answer.”
I don’t say anything, because I don’t know what the right answer was, either. Facing Mom and Dad can be pretty terrifying.
Annie asks, “Do you feel like you’ve had to make them happy to fill my place?”
“Yeah.” I rest my head on her shoulder. “I feel like I’ve had to be perfect and do exactly what they’ve expected of me because I’m all they have left.”
She sighs. “I’m so sorry you felt that way. But they should understand that their daughters are not extensions of themselves. That we have our own lives and can make our own decisions.” She pats my arm. “I didn’t do it the right way, but I’m also really happy with the path I’ve taken. And now it’s your turn.”
I nod and lift my head to look at her. “I’m going to publish my book.”
The grin that fills her face warms my heart. “You better let me read it first.”
Last night,I slept better than I had in weeks. Maybe months. The engagement isn’t officially off, but I’ve resolved in my heart to make my own decisions and follow my own path, and I’m more content than ever.
The first thing I do when I wake up is text Zach that I’m coming over to talk to him. I owe him the respect and honor of hearing it from me before anyone else. Besides, I worry if I tell my parents before I’ve talked to him, they’ll try to convince me to stay with him.
He sends me a thumbs-up, so I know it’s safe to head over. I drive to Mike and Julie’s, knock on the door, and am greeted with a warm hug and smile from Julie.Oh, poor Julie. I’m about to break your son’s heart, and probably yours too.
I head down to Zach’s room, knocking on the door before opening it. “Hey, Zach,” I call.
