Her brows furrowed. “I really didn’t think you were that dumb.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re sitting here doing nothing while the woman you love is probably torturing herself with doubts about your relationship.” Ava leaned forward, her voice sharp. “Tell me something, Drew. If Harper had been the one to keep a secret from you—something that made you question everything about your relationship—and then she just went radio silent after the truth came out, how would that make you feel?”
I shifted uncomfortably, not liking the direction of this conversation at all. “I’m trying to respect her boundaries?—”
“You’re being a coward!” The words exploded out of her, loud enough that Rory startled awake. Ava immediatelylowered her voice as I soothed the baby. “You’re so afraid of making things worse that you’re not even trying to make them better.”
Anger and fear swirled in my chest. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I? You love Harper, right?”
“Of course I love her.”
“Then why are you acting like it’s over? Like there’s nothing you can do?”
I snapped. “Because what if I make it worse? What if I push her further away?”
“So instead you’re just giving up? Sitting here hoping she’ll magically realize you didn’t mean to hurt her?”
“What am I supposed to do, Ava?” I’d never felt so fucking helpless and sick to my stomach in my entire life.
“Fight for her!” Ava’s voice rose again. “Prove to her that what you had was real instead of just sitting here wallowing in guilt.”
“She doesn’t want to see me.”
“How do you know? Have you tried?”
“Liam said?—”
“I don’t give a shit what Liam said!” Ava stood up, pacing to the window. “Liam’s never been in love the way you’re in love with Harper. He’s never been in love a day in his life and wouldn’t know what it looked like if it hit him across the face with a hockey stick. He doesn’t understand what’s at stake here.”
“I hurt her enough already. I don’t want to make it worse. If she needs space?—”
“What Harper needs,” Ava interrupted, whirling back to face me, “is for you to prove that your love was real. She needs you to fight for her like she’s worth fighting for.Instead, you’re giving her exactly what she expects from you—nothing.”
The word felt like a slap, and my heart dropped to my stomach.
As if understanding that her words had hit their intended target, she came back to sit beside me.
“Stop following the advice of a guy who’s never had to risk his heart for love. Liam doesn’t know what Harper needs. Really think about it from her perspective, Drew. She discovers that there was a bet about her. She confronts you, and what happens? You give some explanation that probably sounded weak even to you, and then when she leaves…silence. Complete silence. No calls, no texts, no showing up at her door. Nothing.”
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I ran my fingers through my hair and didn’t miss the tremble in my hand. “I was trying to give her time to process.”
“I know that’s how you see it, but all you were doing was confirming every fear she’s ever had about you.” Ava’s voice was gentle, like she was breaking devastating news in the softest way she could. “You need to get your ass off this couch and start fighting for her.”
“What if it’s too late?” I asked, panic damn near clawing at my throat. If Ava was right, then I’d been adding fuckups to my fuckup by not reaching out to Harper this whole time. How did I come back from this?
“It’s only too late if you decide it is.” Ava’s voice was filled with sympathy. “But Drew, if you’re going to fight for her, you have to really fight. Not halfhearted attempts that give you an easy out when they don’t work immediately. You have to be willing to put everything on the line for her.”
“So what do I do?” I asked.
Ava smiled for the first time since she’d arrived. “Now you’re asking the right question. You show her that your feelings were real. Don’t tell her—showher. Prove that your relationship was real, that you know her and love her, and that you’re willing to fight for what you built together.”
