The question haunted me.
What if I let him in and he hurt us?
What if I trusted him and he broke that trust?
What if I loved him and he destroyed me?
What if you don’t give him a chance and you lose him?
The thought was quieter, softer, but it cut just as deep.
What if I pushed Derek away and spent the rest of my life wondering what could have been?
What if Frankie grew up resenting me for keeping her away from someone who loved her?
What if I let fear dictate my life and ended up missing out on something real?
I didn’t have answers.
I didn’t know what the right choice was.
All I knew was that I was tired of being afraid.
I was tired of second-guessing myself.
I was tired of letting the past control the present.
Maybe it was time to take a leap of faith.
Maybe it was time to trust, not Derek, not yet, but myself.
To trust that I would know if something was wrong.
To trust that I would protect Frankie no matter what.
To trust that I was strong enough to handle whatever came next.
The sound of tires on gravel pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up to see a car pulling into the driveway.
Sam.
My stomach tightened. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this conversation.
But as she stepped out of the car and walked toward me, I realized I didn’t have a choice.
“Morning,” she said softly as she approached the porch.
“Morning,” I replied, my voice hoarse.
She gestured to the step beside me. “Mind if I sit?”
I shook my head, and she sat down, leaving a respectful distance between us.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Sam said, “I wanted to talk to you about Derek.”
My chest tightened. “Okay.”
