“I’ve only known you a few weeks, Macy. I’m not sure what you’re asking of me.”
“I’m not asking anything of you, Brad. We both made it clear that this was a short-term thing. I get that, but I’ve realized that with you it’s different. I mean,” she waved a hand at him as he tried to close the distance between them, “it could simply be that you’re the first man to show me attention, and be nice to me, and that’s why I feel about you like I do.” She was lying of course, Macy knew she loved this man. It was a real love, and she doubted another man would ever touch her heart like Brad did.
“That’s not very flattering.” The frown turned to a scowl. “You think you care about me because I was the first man to be nice to you since that asshole?”
“We’re moving off the point,” Macy said as the knots in her stomach tightened.
“I don’t know what the point is.” He gritted the words out between his teeth.
“Don’t get angry with me.”
“Then say what you want to say, and stop delaying.”
“I’m not delaying, I’m trying to explain.”
His eyes narrowed as he focused, and she felt the old Macy rise up inside her. Easily intimidated, scared, and someone who would back down in a heartbeat. But she wasn’t that Macy anymore, she reminded herself. Brad had told her she was strong, and tonight she needed to be.
“Spit it out then.”
“This,” she said softly, “us, it’s wonderful, but it’s time to end it. I can’t do this anymore, Brad, because I care about you, and I don’t want to get hurt when you leave. Billy too. I don’t want him hurt either.”
“Why does it have to get complicated? We like each other, we certainly get on well, especially in bed—”
“Don’t bring that into it. This is about feelings, not that.”
“Sex?” he said, looking angry now. “Sex is part of what is good between us.”
It’s more than sex, she thought. Way more, but she wasn’t saying those words out loud.
“But I want more.”
“I thought you said you didn’t want more.”
Macy huffed out a sigh. “I know I did, and I thought I could stay uninvolved emotionally, but I can’t. So it needs to stop, Brad. We can be friends, but no more of the rest of it.”
“The rest of it? Are you talking about kindness, caring, support?”
“Brad, you’re deliberately not understanding what I’m trying to say. This wouldn’t have happened before dad died, but his death brought you close again, and I should not have let that happen.”
He raked a hand through his hair and looked the hotter for it…bastard. Macy bet he’d never had an ugly day in his life.
“I like being with you and Billy.”
She needed to ask the question. It was the only way to cut through all the crap and get to what needed to be said. It would scare him, and then she could sit a corner and lick her wounds and tell herself she was an idiot when he ran for the hills.
“Do you love me, Brad?”
The shock on his face would have made her laugh if she could manage it.
“Wh-what?”
She didn’t speak.
“I-I care about you, of course.”
“Well I love you, Brad Gelderman, so you can see how messy that makes things. Therefore, I want to call this to a halt before I can’t.”
“Can’t?”
