“I get it. No talking about that.” I force a small smile even though she doesn’t see me. “I was just calling to see if you were busy and maybe wanted to go shopping with me.”
“You know what, shopping sounds really amazing right now and would definitely cheer me up. Grey went to the water park with Little Tulip, so I’ve got some free time on my hands. Want me to pick you up?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Good. See you in a bit, babe.” She hangs up and I quickly move to my closet, picking out my outfit of the day before attacking my hair and makeup next.
Twenty minutes later, I step out of my building and climb into Emma’s SUV. “Surprised you aren’t with the twins today,” Emma says with a smirk the moment I shut the car door.
“You do know I have my own life, right? One that doesn’t revolve around them.” I narrow my eyes to slits while buckling myself in.
“Could have fooled me,” she mumbles as I smack her arm and she laughs.
“No, but seriously, babe, talk to me. How are things really going with them? You three seemed pretty cozy after the big win, but well, I know they can be… a lot to handle, certainly when it involves you.” Emma shifts in her seat slightly to look at me.
We’re still parked outside my place rather than driving away like I thought we were going to do. I mean, the whole point of going shopping was to try and take my mind off the whole Noah and Gabe thing. But I know this is Emma’s caring nature taking over, and she won’t move from here until I reassure her that everything is fine.
I sigh and lean back against my seat. “It’s… going. We may have had a little moment the other day, but—”
“I’m going to cut you off right there. You are not permitted to say‘it means nothing’at any point today. I get that it’s scary sometimes feeling things we didn’t expect, but saying it doesn’t mean anything diminishes the value it may have and will only hurt you in the end.”
I roll my eyes at her and giggle. “What I was going to say before you interrupted me is that now I feel even more confused than I did before. As much as I hate to admit it, you girls were right. Gabe and Noah are truly great guys, they’re amazing…”
“But?” She tilts her head to the side, eyes roaming over all my features.
“But I’m terrified of letting myself venture down that road,” I admit while looking out the windshield.
“You’re afraid of getting hurt again,” she whispers with a knowing look.
“Yeah… something like that.” It’s more than just about getting hurt. It’s about learning to trust again, something I swore I’d never do. I turn my head to the side, finding her eyes still solely focused on me. “When you broke up with Tommy and started seeing Greyson, how did you just move on from all the shit he did to you?”
She chuckles and leans back against her seat. “I didn’t, at least, not entirely. I was over Tommy, that was for sure, but that fear of being hurt again still lingered even if I pretended it didn’t. Eventually, Wolf showed me that I could trust him with my heart, not necessarily through words but through actions, and slowly it made it easier to just… let it happen.”
I sigh. “I wish it could be that simple.” Doing that would mean letting my relationship with Noah and Gabe evolve and dropping all my walls. But how am I supposed to do that when I don’t think I’m even capable of letting them down long enough to try?
“You know, it’s not really about moving on from what this person did to you, it’s about letting go of the pain it caused you.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?” I raise a brow.
“No.” Em giggles quietly. “One is a physical event that took place, while the other is an emotional one. You’ve already moved on from the situation. What you haven’t moved on from is the emotions that came from it. Once you’re able to let go of that emotion still holding you captive, facing your fears will be a lot easier.” She reaches out and places her hand over mine. “Although if I’m being honest with you, Ronnie, I think you’re already letting go without even realizing it.”
“Look at you being all wise and shit. It’s like you just channeled your inner Morgan and Aubrey in one sitting.” I snort when she throws her head back and laughs.
“I know, right? Grey would be proud of me for being so serious for longer than five minutes.” A dazzling grin spreads over her lips as she takes my hand in hers, her smile turning tender. “But seriously, you know you can always talk to us about anything, right? We’re here for you, Ronnie, and we’d never judge you, no matter what it is.”
“I know, and thank you for the advice and all the words of wisdom.” I squeeze her hand.
“Anytime. Now, let me guess. This impromptu shopping trip is you trying to distract yourself from the twins a bit and clear your mind?”
“Yup, pretty much. Although that kind of backfired when I told Gabe I was thinking about going, and now he expects me to send him naughty pictures in sexy outfits.” I laugh and shake my head.
Emma suddenly gets that devilish grin that tells me she has some mischievous plan forming in her mind.
“What?”
“Did those boys leave you one of their credit cards?”
“They did… Why?”
