“Yes!” came a double cry from behind the closed bedroom door.
Lucy rolled her eyes and shouted back, “It’s for your own good!” before turning to Rachel, “That’s what sisters are for. We love you unconditionally and only want the best for you. Whether we say mean things to you – which we almost immediately regret! – or not.” She grimaced. “Unsolicited advice is merely the icing on the cake. Think of all the wonderful times we’ll have together!”
Rachel laughed, warmth spreading to her toes…even as a faint pang of despair pooled in her diaphragm.
She hadn’t realized how important the security of marriage was to her. Her parents' relationship should have convinced her otherwise. But no matter how bad their relationship had been…they’d always been there for each other. They hadn’t just thrown in the towel. And Connor…Connor’s last meaningful relationship had been in high school. If ever. He didn’t believe in marriage or the kind of love they were hoping to find with Match Me! He’donlywanted sex-leasing with her, never hinting at whether he was even interested in having children…
But, yes, people change. Dax and Matt were the best proof of that. No matter how many women they’d slept with in the past, they’d ultimately been ready to commit fully to one.
But what if Connor would never be ready? What if they continued along the same lines for two years…before he finally told her he hated kids and meant it: He would never get married.
“Shit,” she whispered, leaning forward and burying her face in her hands.
She needed reassurance.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sometimes it's better to just rip off all the band-aids at once!
From the self-help book for self-pitiers by psychologist Rachel James
Simple solution: Stop using band-aids. Wounds heal faster when exposed to the air, no matter what. - Connor
Sunshine Pier lay quiet and peaceful as Rachel strolled toward O’Leary & Stone shortly after ten that evening, clutching Connor’s car keys.
Maddie had cooked and insisted she stay. Dax had tried to explain to her why hockey was fantastic and why she couldn’t hate it. Matt had eaten Babybel and claimed that cheese never spoiled his appetite. Lucy had seemed more relaxed than Rachel had ever seen her.
She felt good. Connor had been right: She felt revitalized.
But, at the same time, her heart was heavy. Her lawyer had written to say that a date had finally been set for her license hearing. That weighed on her. Also, she loved Connor and was afraid of losing him.
And she would still have to talk to her dad.
Over it all was the feeling there was no man who made her laugh and challenged her as much as Connor.
But she wasn’t twenty-five anymore. She was approaching thirty-five and…her body’s clock was ticking. And Maddie was right, she was ready for the man of her dreams, a man she could rely on. She wanted a man who would assure her that he truly loved her and would try to do so forever, no matter how imperfect she was.
She was afraid she'd found him and he wanted completely different things than she did.
“Hey,” Connor said as he opened the door.
Her heart leaped simply because he was smiling at her. Because he was wearing one of his too-tight, white shirts again, paired with black jeans.
“Hey,” she whispered, holding up his car keys. “I wanted to bring this back.”
“The keys or the car?”
“The keys. The car’s mine now, since I found out it has seat warmers.”
“I’m no slouch.” he said earnestly.
She had to laugh…and her chest ached strangely. She wished they could go on like this forever. Did she truly need to know what Connor wanted?
She lowered her gaze and took a deep breath.
“Where’s Alec?” She looked past him into the spacious apartment, which she hadn’t been in often; having Connor’s brother in the next room somewhat dampened the mood.
“Not here,” Connor stated simply.
