“I’m so sorry I embarrassed you,” he murmured.“It never once crossed my mind that you would think you weren’t good enough.”
“Are you still worried?”I asked.
His chuckle rumbled through his chest.“After the caveman performance?Not the tiniest bit.Where is he?”
“I asked him to wait outside for me.”
His arms tightened around me.“I’m going to go talk to him.Apologize for the way I went about everything.But I can’t take back the fact that I believe he should have told you.”
I nodded.“He should have.But I probably wouldn’t be with him if he had.Certainly, we wouldn’t be where we are now.Theoretically, I’m pissed.”I shrugged and smiled wryly.“However, I can’t fault his logic.I promise you, he makes me happy.And I’m not sure I would have given him half a chance had I known.”
“If you’re happy, I’m happy for both of you.”Releasing me with a kiss to the top of my head, he headed for the door.
I turned back to Noelle.
“Where does that leave us?”she asked, nervously twisting the ends of her hair.
This was almost harder.She’d been gone for over a decade, and since she’d been back, she’d lied to me twice.
Trust did not come easily for me in the first place, but Noelle?I’d trusted her implicitly.As if it was part of my DNA.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She smiled nervously.“Unlike Hawkley, I do know how you think.Twice I began to tell you, but you were already putting yourself down, telling me you weren’t his type, and I so badly wanted him for you.”She tapped her own temple, her hand visibly trembling.“I know how you think, Harley.Five years with Paul installed a lot of malicious software in your brain.When Max told me how serious Daire was, I didn’t want to sabotage your chance with him just because he asked me out before you were even an option.”
“I don’t need to know any details,” I interrupted shortly.
She shook her head rapidly.“There aren’t any.Remember when Daire called you on how you were letting Paul treat you?”She shrugged.“It was like that.And that’s all it ever was.”Her eyebrows shot up and she laughed.“There was certainly no caveman behavior like he exhibits with you.I mean, the man has devolved to Neanderthal status now on more than one occasion.”
I tried to smile but the fear of being second choice had not quite dissipated.
Nor had the fear of being replaced.
Upgraded.
“Are you attracted to him?”
“No.But I do think he’s attractive.I also think my brother is attractive, but I’m not attracted to him either.Your dad isreallyhot for his age—"
I worked to quell my smile.“You should probably stop.”
“Yeah…stop while I’m ahead…”
I snorted.“You sailed past that marker when you brought up my dad.”
36
If
Thefirstfewminuteswere awkward.
To say the very least.
But by the time we moved onto our second bowl of soup, and Daire elicited a promise from me to make more cheese buns, we all settled.
Baby cuddles with Hunter certainly didn’t hurt.
Max called to say he was in town and asked us to meet him at The Beanery.
