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Before I reach the end of the hallway, Nana tosses out one last pearl of wisdom. “I love you, my boy. And so does she. Maybe it’s time you figure out how to let some of that love in.”
Charly
Nana’s heels clack in the dining room, and I jump away from the door.
Confusion swirls around me, my chest squeezing so tight I fight for my next breath.
Bryce doesn’t want to be with me?
Aside from the hiccup at the café today, I thought we had a great day together. I thought everything was fine. I thought ... I thought we’d continue whatever this is after I leave.
Nothing I just heard between them in the hallway makes sense.
I rush through dinner, and then my legs carry me out of the inn as fast as they can. I find Bryce on the porch swing out back. Edward spots me before he does, and the tags on his collar jingle as he wags his tail. My heart pounds faster with every step I take.
Bryce lifts his tired eyes to me when I reach the ramp. “Hi, gorgeous.”
I try to play it cool, but the words come tumbling out of my mouth before I can stop them. “What were you talking to Beatrice about in the hallway before?”
His brows dip down. “What?”
“Tell me the truth, Bryce. What did you mean when you said you were going to make it easy for me?”
Shock flashes in his eyes. “You were eavesdropping?”
“That’s not the point, and you know it.” My fists ball at my sides, and I will my voice not to shake as I push out the words. “Please. Tell me what you meant. Tell me I misunderstood. Tell me I’m wrong.”
He shoves both of his hands through his hair, and I count the seconds until he speaks. But each passing moment of silence only solidifies what he isn’t saying.
My shoulders fall. “You’re ending things between us.”
He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, refusing to meet my eyes. “I didn’t want to do this now.”
His words have the force of a slap. “When were you going to tell me? When were we going to have this conversation?”
“It’s not a conversation, Charly.”
Another shockwave ripples through me. “Oh, so you were just going to say goodbye and then never speak to me again? Let me leave thinking everything is fine, and then break my heart?”
“It’s for the best. You just can’t see it yet.”
“But you can? You’re a fortune teller now?”
He rolls his eyes. “Charly, don’t—”
“Don’t what?” I inch forward, stabbing my finger in the air. “Weren’t you the one telling your grandmother how she shouldn’t make decisions for you? How she should ask you what you want? Yet here you are, telling me what’s best for me.”
“It’s not the same.”
My bottom lip trembles like the ground during an earthquake, leading a tidal wave of tears surging toward my eyes. “Did I do something? Did I misread the way you feel about me, because I thought we were on the same page?”
“No.” He pushes to his feet, and clutches my hands, finally snapping out of the apathetic state. “You didn’t do anything.”
My jaw clenches, and I yank myself out of his reach. “Then what is going on? I don’t understand.”
His willpower snaps. “Look at your new bucket list, Charly! I won’t be able to go sky diving with you. I won’t be able to go rock climbing. There are some things in life I’ll never be able to do, and if I end up back in a wheelchair, the list will be even longer. I’ve come to terms with that. I’ve had time to cope, and adjust to my life as a disabled person. But you’ve only known me for a short while. You don’t know what it’s like living with a lifelong injury. And you don’t have to. I don’t want you to feel like I’m holding you back. I don’t want you to resent me one day for the things I can’t do.”
My eyes widen. “You think I’d resent you?”
