“Oh, honey... there’s nothing wrong with you.”
“Then why do I feel like there is? Two perfectly nice men have left me, and even though I was the one who spoiled things with Liam, he didn’t exactly put up a fight. Maybe it’s not them. Maybe it’sme. Nobody wants me, Meghan.”
“That isnot true. And let’s not forget, Evan cheated on you.”
Chloe snorted. “I probably drove him to it.”
“Hey. Stop accepting responsibility for his behavior. That was his choice.”
“But he was always complaining that I didn’t open up. That I didn’t let him in. And I guess it was true—I never told him about my dad. And I didn’t exactly open up about how I felt about certain things.”
“Well, no one’s perfect. And it’s not exactly a fatal flaw. You can always work on being more vulnerable.”
Just the thought sent a bolt of panic through her. “I don’t know if I can. It’s so scary.”
Meghan gave her a sympathetic smile. “Believe me, I know it is. Especially for you, I’d guess, because your dad abandoned you and that left you with some scars. But people can’t love you until they know you. And they can’t know you until you open yourself to them and show them who you are.”
She was right. Except... “But what if I open myself up and they don’t like what they see? What if they leave me just like—?” Her voice broke.
“Like your dad?”
Chloe blinked back the tears. Then she gave voice to her deepest fear. “If my own dad can’t love me... who can?”
“Oh, Chloe, who couldn’t? You’re a wonderful person who’s worthy of love. Your father is flawed and his inability to love you in the right way is on him, not you.”
“I know you’re right, but...” She gave her head a shake. “Why does love have to be so scary?” And so painful. The thought of opening herself up to someone, of falling in love only to be rejected, was overwhelming.
“When you let the right person in, he’s gonna love you as much as I do.”
She’d thought that person might be Liam. In their short months together, she’d let him in more than any man she’d ever been with.She’d told him about her father. And he’d done nothing but support her. She had a suspicion he might’ve even loved her if she’d given him half a chance.
Chloe wiped her tears away. “The last few weeks Liam was here, I knew I was falling for him. But deep down I was so afraid of what would happen when he left. What that would feel like.” She swallowed against the knot in her throat. “I think maybe I sabotaged our relationship. I’ve never blocked anyone in my life.”
Meghan gave a sympathetic smile. “That makes sense. You were afraid he’d hurt you, so you left him first.”
The comment hit its target. That was exactly what she’d done. So much for avoiding pain. She hadn’t avoided it at all, only hastened its arrival. “How did I not see that?”
“You were too close to it. Love is complicated. It’s hard. But maybe it’s not too late to fix things with Liam. Maybe you can have this conversation with him.”
Chloe wished that were true. But she’d completely shut him down. He already had difficulty believing in people and she’d trampled all over his trust. “I think there might be too much water over that dam.”
But she did owe him an apology.
She couldn’t believe this was how her big summer had ended. “These past few months have been such a whirlwind.”
“No doubt—you had a movie made, fell in love with a celebrity, faced two public scandals—”
“And broke my own heart.” She couldn’t speak for Liam. Maybe he was glad to be rid of her at this point. Maybe he felt like he’d dodged a bullet.
“But you got a new sister out of the deal... And you learned some important things about yourself. Or as we say in fiction, you had an epiphany.”
Chloe froze in her seat as an idea lit up her mind like a spotlight.
Meghan’s eyes lit. “You know... you wrote a novel about the perfect hero—”
“Maybe now I can write one featuring the perfect heroine!” The words sank in soul-deep. Not the perfect heroine—but a flawed one. A character who wanted to love and be loved, but deep down she was too afraid to be vulnerable. Maybe the heroine needed to learn she was actually worthy of that love before she was ready to accept it.
Yes.
