Storm clouds loomed on the horizon as she made her way down the beach. The breeze was transitioning from perfect to “why did I bother brushing my hair anyway?” It didn’t matter. Who caredabout her hair? Her relationship was over before it even started. You would think this would make it easier, but what Gabby was feeling wasn’t a superficial hurt.
What did they say? Love was chemistry and timing. She and Markus had the chemistry, but the timing… She exhaled. Markus didn’t fit into her current life. If they’d met before she’d gotten married and had a family, it would have worked. But it’s not like she could undo the last fifteen years of her life, and she wouldn’t if she could.
“Wait up,” Phil called.
Yep. Someone was torturing her for sport. She did not have the energy for Phil. Not right now. She knew he was a decent person, the father of her children, but the timing… The relationship was over, Phil!
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“I don’t have time right now, Phil,” she said, picking up her pace. “I came here to get married to someone else. This isn’t about you.”
He sighed. “I really need to get this out. It’s important.”
Hands on hips, she turned to face him. “You have two minutes.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, looking deep into her eyes.
She raised an eyebrow. Where was he going to start?
“In meditation today, I sat in self-reflection and—” He shook his head. “I’ve been an ass, following you down here, getting in your way. I don’t want you to get married. I want to give us another shot, but I’ve been doing it all wrong.”
She nodded. That was all true.
“I probably blew it.”
Finally, he was getting it.
“But I love you. I love what a good mom you are. I think it’sgreat that you’re trying to grow as a person, joining Inner-G, and meditating, and all that.”
For fuck’s sake.
“I need to do that too.”
It would be nice if he did his growing on his own time, not on a work vacation he had invited himself to. “Great. Self-improvement is important.”
“I officially signed up to join Inner-G today. I’m going to stop being a hater and try to grow and evolve, to access my inner-G.”
Gabby actually sobbed. It was sweet and so misguided. He’d just joined a cult she was about to take down, but he was trying. It was the nicest thing he’d ever done for her.
“If I become a better man for you, would you consider taking me back? I’m ready to grow together.”
Why would you bite into a lemon twice? As far as husbands went, Phil was a lemon. And he had been disruptive, disrespectful, and in her way this week.
“I still love you, Ga… I mean, Gia.”
“Phil—” She held up her hand in a stop gesture.
But then again, he was fighting for her. Hadn’t she always loved that scene where Colin Firth and Hugh Grant fought each other in the street? But now that Phil was pulling his version of Colin Firth, it just didn’t work. She wanted to give him a hug, not marry him. If you were going to fight for love, the love had to be worth fighting for in the first place.
All she had been thinking about for the last week was how awful he was, but from a different perspective, maybe it was romantic. He loved her so much he couldn’t let her go. And there was Kyle begging her to get back together with her dad. It hadn’t been a perfect family before. Phil had never been around. They weren’t ateam, but… did she owe it to her daughter to try again? Markus had broken up with her before they even got off the ground. It was just her and Phil. A weight settled on her chest at the thought.
“Phil, did you ever figure out where that money was coming from? You were going to follow up with Brad before you got back to me.”
“It’sthatimportant?”
“Yes. It’s extremely important.”
“I got a little more out of him. Do you want to sit down?”
