"You're welcome to stay here."
He raised a brow."I don't really want to see you and my sister together."
I laughed without any humor."Like that's going to happen."
His brow furrowed."Why wouldn't it?"
"We haven't talked since you came home.She's mad at me for how I handled things.Not that I can blame her."I was pissed at myself too.
"What do you want to do?Was it just a fling or something else?"he asked hesitantly.
He probably didn't really want to know, but he was trying to be a good friend."I wanted to tell her how I felt but then you came home before I could."
"How do you feel?"Tom asked.
I should talk to Reina first, but I wasn't even sure she cared to hear what I had to say."I love her."
His eyes flared."I didn't realize it was that serious."
My stomach churned with anxiety."I should have told her what I wanted a long time ago.Now everything's screwed up, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to fix it."
"You'll never know if you don't talk to her.Maybe she feels the same way."
I couldn't help but ask, "Did she say anything to you?"
He held up his hands."I'm not getting in the middle of your relationship.It's bad enough I walked in on whatever was happening the other night."
"How can we be friends if I'm with your sister?"I asked.
"I didn't know that you loved her.That changes things.”
"I think subconsciously, I always knew there was something there.When I heard she was asleep in that burning building, I acted on instinct.I wouldn't back off, even when I heard the sirens and knew the firefighters would be there at any moment.I had to be the one to rescue her.That has to mean something.And then we got to know each other and one thing led to another.I admire her.She's so strong and determined but also a positive person.Then my feelings for her deepened until I couldn't imagine a life without her."
"I can't say I've experienced anything like that before."
"I'd like to say I wouldn't pursue her if you had a problem with it, but I don't think I can ignore the way I feel.Not even if it means losing our friendship."I'd thought about nothing else for days.
His eyes widened."You're really serious about her."
"I screwed up though.When you walked in the other night, I was more worried about your reaction than preserving our relationship.I should have been on Reina's side.I hope it's not too late.But I don't know what to do.How do you show a woman you're in love with her?"
Tom leaned his elbows on his thighs."You said the bakery's renovation is almost completed?"
"One more week.Max."
"Maybe you could incorporate something with the big reveal.She'll want to see the end result, and you have to be there to show it to her."
"That's not a bad idea."
"I don't know if I'd take my advice though.It's hard to date when you're constantly traveling.I figured when things slowed down or when I retired, I'd have more time to meet someone.That might be sooner rather than later."
"Maybe you'll meet someone now that you're home for a bit."
"The young guys get married around the time they enlist.They want whoever they're dating to travel with them, to get spousal benefits.But the deployments are hard on their relationships.They don't last.And the ones that do, they get divorced after retirement.Their relationship can't handle the change from constant deployments to the husband being home all the time."
"You've thought about this a lot."
"I just see what goes on.There's a pattern."
