I smile at him. “No. He was—is—nice. My last relationship didn’t work out.”
That’s putting it mildly. It blew up so badly that it made the front page of the newspapers.Andmy parents disowned me.
There are first-date jitters, and then there’s whatever this thing is that has left me feeling sick and anxious since I first agreed to this date with Oscar.
He nods. “So you’re scared this one will go bad as well?”
“I put my trust in the wrong place, and I don’t want to make the same mistake.” I’ve just rebuilt my life, and I’m scared of making a decision that blows it up.
“What do your instincts say?”
“That he’s a nice guy and I can trust him. But that’s what my instincts said before. And they were wrong. I had…” I shoot him a rapid glance, unsure how much I want to tell him about my old life. He hasn’t pried or asked any questions, which makes it easier to open up. “I had three scent matches.”
His expression turns blank. “Ah.”
“You heard about me and what I did.”
“An omega rarely walks away from her scent matches, least of all three of them.”
I scuff the toe of my white sneaker against the ground. “You would if you had a year of being treated like you were shit they stepped in.”
He’s silent for a beat, and when I look at him, his expression is thoughtful. “Maybe you’re feeling hesitant because it’s too soon?”
I shrug. “Maybe. How long do you wait before moving on after someone breaks your heart?”
“I don’t think there’s a set time for getting over heartbreak, June.” He chews his lip, his forehead furrowed. “My mom saysshe doesn’t think she’ll ever love again. She was with my dad for over thirty years.”
“She’s not missing much,” I mutter bitterly, surprised by my anger.
I told myself I wouldn’t let what Callum, Torin, and Archer did to me make me bitter or harden my heart, but it did. Deep down, it’sstillchanging me in ways I wish it wouldn’t. I used to trust so easily. Now, I brace myself instinctively, expecting someone to hurt me.
I didn’t just lose faith in love; I lost my faith in the goodness of people.
“But my mom had the most incredible life with him,” Jack says when I move to leave. “She doesn’t think anyone would come close to what she lost.” He adds in a gentler tone, “It’s a little different from not trying again when you still have most of your life ahead of you, June.”
“Yeah, I know,” I say, biting my lip and leaning my back against the wall. “It’s hard not just to open up, but to want to, you know?”
He nods. “I get it. Where’s he taking you?”
“We’re going for tea in the coffee shop down the street,” I explain.
Oscar texted me the other day to find out where I wanted to meet. Brew Sixteen is close enough for me to walk to, yet far enough away that Oscar won’t know where I live since we’re meeting there at two.
Jack’s gaze dips to my frankly inappropriate coffee shop date outfit.
I aim a reluctant smile at him. “I know the dress is a bit much. Lucia wants him to see the dress and start planning a future dinner date.”
“What will she be planning if it turns into a dinner date?” he cocks his head, curious.
“Probably the birth of our first child,” I mutter, prompting a bark of laughter from him.
“What do you want?”
“To wear something I can run in, in case it goes wrong,” I say.
He laughs, but I’m actually being serious. It’s why I’m wearing sneakers instead of borrowing a pair of heels from Lucia.
His amusement fades. “Do you want my number?”
