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“I realize the circumstances are different, but I know how it is to love someone who has some issues to work out for themselves.”
I bet he did. He’d once learned Sasha had an anxiety disorder she’d hidden from him. “What do you do?”
“Love and support them. Most importantly, be patient with them. The hardest part for me is to watch when she struggles and not try to fix it for her. One, she would resent it, and two, I can’t. But I don’t want her hiding it from me. If she thinks every time I’ll jump in to try to fix it, then she’d start to conceal her feelings. Of course, it’s different for you. Hearing about Mark’s past with Sarah has to be tough.”
It was, but probably not any tougher than for Mark to listen to me talk about Rob. “Thank you. Not only for sharing, but also for not making a fuss about Mark and me being together. I think he was kind of worried you’d punch him.”
He frowned. “Jeez, you punch one guy because you find out he’s sleeping with your sister and bam, you have a reputation. For the record, I still feel awful about the punch, although don’t you dare tell Colby that. I’ve gotta keep the threat alive in case he doesn’t treat my sister right.”
I scoffed. “You and I both know Colby adores Kenzie. And we know that you’re a softie despite how your greatest jump-to-conclusions moment made you a temporary asshole.”
He grinned, amusement dancing in his brown eyes. “It has served me well not to do the same ever again. It was kind of a shock at first to find out about you and Mark, but once I saw the way he held you today at the house, I knew you two were made for one another. Let’s just say I always hoped he’d find someone again, and since you’re both some of my favorite people in the world, I can’t be anything but supportive. Oddly, Sasha didn’t seem very surprised when I told her over the phone.”
He clearly guessed I’d already told her. “No?” Guess the cat was officially out of the bag. I’d already received a text from Haylee about it, too. I wondered if it bothered Mark that everyone knew now. Then I realized if it did bother him, we were not in a place where things could ever work out.
* * *
Mark’s phonenumber flashed up at nine o’clock on Christmas Eve. Tristan had long been in bed. Earlier, we’d set out cookies and milk for Santa. Then, once he was in his crib, my mother had helped me set up gifts from Santa, including a new, bright red tricycle.
“Hi.”
“Hi. I hope when you said you didn’t mind me calling, this wasn’t too soon.”
“It definitely isn’t.”
“Do you have time to talk?”
I went into the small bathroom off of the guest room we were using so I wouldn’t wake Tristan. “Yeah. Everyone else is in bed.”
“I bet it’ll be fun in the morning when Tristan wakes up.”
“It will. I got him a tricycle. I mean Santa did. Has a bell and everything on it.”
“Sounds amazing. I wish I was there.”
I didn’t know what to say to this, especially if he was with Sarah’s family, so I stayed quiet.
Mark spoke up again, sounding nervous even through the phone. “I realize the last two days couldn’t have been easy for you, and I guess— Well, I guess I needed to know if you’re anxious to get far, far away from me.”
“They weren’t easy for you, either, but you opening up in front of me with Dr. Mac meant a lot to me. And I’m not that far. Only in Charlotte.”
“I met with Dr. Mac again today, and something he said really resonated.”
“What’s that?”
“If Rob hadn’t turned to drugs or Sarah hadn’t died, things would’ve been much different for both of us. But those things did happen, and now here we are. Nothing we can do or ever hope for will ever change the past.”
No. It wouldn’t.
“Jules, I still want my future to be with you and Tristan. I want to give you the sort of love you deserve. I’ve been miserable since you left. It’s as though you took all the sunshine with you.”
I sucked in a breath, not knowing what to say. I loved this man so very much. Now wasn’t the time to tell him, but I could feel it in every fiber of my being. “I want that, too, but where do we go from here?”
“Take it slow. Not skip over our feelings and be honest with one another.”
Okay, but with me in Charlotte and him up in Connecticut, how did that happen?
“What do you think about me coming to spend Christmas Day with you and Tristan and your family? I’d get a hotel room or something and wouldn’t stay long, but I have a gift for him. And for you.”
