“You’re not like this. You never asked for one thing in all those years.”
That hurt. He’d relied on me being passive when we’d dated. Why was I so insecure with him and yet the total opposite with Griffin? Whatever, it didn’t matter anymore.
“That was my mistake. I put up with whatever crumbs you wanted to throw my way, and you got used to that. But I’m not the same person anymore, Marshall. You did me a favor by not proposing.”
“Yeah, right.” He burst out laughing. “Like you would have said no.”
“That’s the problem. I would have said yes. And then I would have been unhappy with you for the rest of my life. I probably wouldn’t even know what real happiness is. But now I know what it means to be loved and respected. To be someone’s priority. And all that was possible because we broke up, so thank you for being a huge ass.”
Marshall shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re on about, but that guy isn’t going to stick around. He’s a fucking gazillionaire. He can have any woman he wants. And he usuallychooses models, judging by the pictures I found online. Don’t fool yourself. He’s way out of your league.”
I rolled my shoulders back, stepping closer to him. “Griffin is a real man, but that’s not something I can explain to you. You just wouldn’t understand because you’re not even close to being one.”
“That’s it, start insulting me.”
“Not my intention.” I shrugged. “So, from the bottom of my heart, I wish for you to find as much happiness as I did.”
Marshall didn’t reply—he just snorted.
I am so done with this asshole.
Without another word, I turned around and headed in the direction of the coffee shop. The more distance I put between me and Marshall, the more my mood improved. I was free. I was meeting my amazing man and seeing Jude again. I’d put this chapter behind me, and it felt even more glorious than I thought it could.
I texted Mom quickly because she’d asked me to give her an update as soon as I could.
Phoebe: All done. Everything went well.
She’d been so great throughout all of this. Then again, my mom had always been amazing. I always felt like she was in my corner even when she feared that I wasn’t making the right decision—such as working in Marshall’s office for a pittance and not pursuing my own career. She was gentle about it, though, never outright criticizing me or making me feel bad about myself.
I still remember that day I told her. She’d asked, “Darling, are you certain about this? You might not be able to use everything you’ve learned in your degree, and I know you like to be intellectually stimulated.”
“It’s what I want to do,” I’d told her, and she didn’t push further.
I guess some things you don’t learn unless you experience them yourself.
She responded right away.
Mom: I’m so happy for you, honey. Dad and I send you lots of love, and Nana and Granddad as well.
She then sent me a picture of the four of them, and I put a hand on my chest. Oh, that was cute. Nana looked exactly the same as she had when they moved away from here ten years ago. The only thing that betrayed my grandparents’ age was the fact that they moved much slower these days.
I had to pay them a visit soon. I’d been so busy trying to keep afloat over these past few months that I couldn’t even contemplate leaving. But now things were starting to look up.
I toyed with the idea of asking Mom and Dad to bring my grandparents as well on their visit, but that wasn’t fair. Traveling was exhausting for them.
I couldn’t wait for my parents to meet Griffin. I was sure they’d love him.
It was official—time to move on. At one time, I didn’t want to rush things and jump into another relationship, fearing it wouldn’t work or that it would be a rebound relationship and fall apart. But what Griffin and I had didn’t feel that way at all.
I arrived at the coffee shop only a few minutes later. It was truly just one block away from the realtor’s office. I still couldn’t believe that Griffin had chosen his meeting’s location specifically to be close by to me. He was amazing.
It was a lovely place. They had a garden outside with huge white umbrellas. A fence made out of greenery separated the perimeter of the coffee shop from its surroundings.
I spotted Griffin and Jude at a table for four, right in the center of the garden. The place was relatively empty.
I walked over to them with quick steps. Griffin glanced at me when I was only a few feet away. His face lit up, but his eyes scrutinized me. He cocked a brow in a silent question, and I nodded to let him know that everything had gone smoothly.
“Phoebe, darling, I was so happy when Griffin told me you’d join us,” Jude said as he rose to his feet, shaking my hand and then leaning in to kiss my cheek.
