“I’m not frowning.”Was he?
“How bad are things between you and Abby?”
Brad shrugged.“This was a mistake.I never should have gotten involved with her.”
“Whoa!Slow down.How did we go from you making a jerk of yourself in front of your mother and Abby to you thinking that your relationship was a mistake?”
Brad was quiet for a moment as he sorted his jumbled thoughts.He decided to turn things around.
He looked directly at Reed.“When did you know that Sadie was the one for you?”
Reed grinned.“I fell for her the first moment I saw her.Of course, I didn’t know who she was at the time.Things were going great, and thenbam, it blew up in my face.”He paused as though he were lost in his memories.A moment later, he said, “I could have walked away when things got rough for us.It would have been the easy thing to do.”
“Why did you stick it out?”
Reed shrugged.“I didn’t have a choice.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I knew she was the right person for me.Without Sadie in my life, I would always be missing the best part of me.”
Brad looked down at his now-cold coffee.“Don’t you miss Chicago?Is she really worth giving up your life to move to another state?”
“At first, I was hesitant.I mean, you and I have the company to think of.But you automated things to the point that it can be run from most anywhere.Then it came down to being happy.I could be unhappy in Chicago without her.Or I could be in Bayberry and enjoy the happiest time of my life.The choice wasn’t hard.”
“Aren’t you worried that you’re making a mistake by moving here?”
Reed narrowed his gaze.“Are we now talking about me?Or you?”
“Just answer the question.”
Reed shook his head.“No.I’m not worried about making a mistake.I love Sadie.When I look in her eyes, I see my future.I see her as my wife.I see our children.I see us growing old right here in Bayberry.What is the deal with all of the questions?”
Brad hesitated.He hadn’t talked about any of this with anyone.Maybe it was time he did before he ruined everything.
He cleared his throat.“I think I’m in love with Abby.”
Reed’s brows rose.“You think?”
“Fine.I’m in love with her.”
“You don’t have to sound so unhappy about it.”
“At the moment, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be happy about.She’s furious with me.And even if we got past it, we live almost a thousand miles apart.How are we supposed to make that work?”
Reed leaned back against the bench.“I could think of one way.”
He sighed.“I know.Move to Bayberry.But what if I don’t want to?”
“I know about your past, and I swear to you that Bayberry is nothing like your hometown.”
Brad was surprised there was a part of him that wanted to believe his friend.No.No-no-no.He wasn’t moving to Bayberry.
But maybe if he asked Abby if she’d consider moving to Chicago.He already knew she didn’t want to live downtown, but they didn’t have to.He’d be open to moving to the suburbs.It would be some sort of compromise.But would it be enough?
“What?”Reed’s voice drew him from his thoughts.
He didn’t want to tell him, because he was afraid Reed would tell him it wasn’t enough.At this point, it was all he had to offer.
