“She lied to me, Joanne. About who she was and what was going on in her life.”
“Okay. That’s fair. But think about it from her side. How mortifying it must be to admit that your own family found you so unlovable that they were willing to essentially pawn you off on a truly awful human being! It sounds to me like they are the worst parents imaginable. Who would put their child in that kind of a position?”
“I guess,” he mumbled.
“I can’t think of one person who would want to admit something like that. Or anything even remotely similar.”
He wasn’t sure what to say to that, but it didn’t matter because Joanne was on a roll.
“Now don’t take this the wrong way, but…do you tell every woman you just met about your childhood?”
“Jeez, Joanne…” Raking a hand through his hair, he let out a long breath.
“Think about it. There are things in our past or things that our family does to us that just aren’t something we broadcast. So she kept it to herself. When you calm down and can think about it clearly, you’ll see that she was in self-preservation mode. She was literally on the run and trying to save herself from an arranged marriage. I didn’t even think things like that happened in real life!”
“Apparently they do when you’re an heiress.”
“Axel,” she said with exasperation. “You’re being unreasonable. And that’s not like you.”
“I can’t help it. I feel like such a damn fool. And all the guys know about it. Hell, Connor knew it before I did and didn’t even have the decency to tell me. What kind of friend does that?”
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Those boys…” She paused and laughed softly. “Sorry, you’re all grown men now, but I still remember you all as boys. Anyway, those boys are family to you. They’re like your brothers. And you feel foolish and betrayed because they knew the truth about Maisie, and it makes you feel like they chose her over you.”
Damn.
“You know you have abandonment issues. We went to therapy for it, and I know it helped, but Dr. Maxwell said it was something that may sneak up on you in relationships in the future.”
Double damn. He’d forgotten about his time working with Dr. Maxwell.
“So what am I supposed to do?” he asked earnestly. “I don’t like feeling like this. In fact, I hate it. The entire situation makes me feel useless and…and…” He let out a long breath.
“You are loved, Axel,” she said gently. “I know it’s hard to believe sometimes, but it’s true. We love you, and your friends love you. And I’d bet good money that if you gave Maisie a chance and truly listened to her, you’d find out that she loves you too.”
He greatly doubted that but kept that observation to himself.
“Where are you now?” she asked. “Are you in your cabin?”
“Um…actually, I’m several hours away from my cabin.”
“Oh, Axel. What did you do?”
“I had to get out of there, okay? I was freaking out, and I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I just needed to get away.”
“Okay, okay. It’s alright. You got hit with a lot today. Do you think you’re ready to go back to the resort? I know the boys are worried about you.”
“What do you mean?”
She sighed. “Don’t be mad, but…Milo called me. They’re all worried about you and wanted to give you some space, but…he said you packed a bag and took off.”
“Then why did you ask if I was in the cabin?”
“I wanted to see if you were going to be honest with me. It’s an old mom trick.”
That made him chuckle. “You have a lot of them.”
