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“Andy.” I gently place my hand on his arm. “You are one of the kindest men I’ve ever met, and I wish things had happened differently. Forgiving myself for hurting you has been difficult.”
“I can’t help you forgive yourself,” Andrew says. “But I forgive you.”
My mouth wobbles as I feel the sting of tears at the back of my eyes. “Thank you, Andrew.”
“I can’t promise that we’ll be friends or anything, especially now that you’ve ruined weddings for me.”
I can’t help but giggle, even as I feel heat creep up my face as I look at him, and he nods gravely.
“The other day, my favorite romantic comedy was on, and I had to fast-forward through the wedding scene.”
“Oh no.” I groan, feeling gratitude for Andrew’s generous nature as he helps me, the one who hurt him, to feel at ease.“I know how much you love those chick flicks. Did you throw the remote control at the TV?”
“And break the remote? Heck, no.” He rolls his eyes and releases a breath that has both of his lips vibrating against each other.
More laughter bubbles in my throat, but I try to squash it. My conversation with Andrew may be funny, but it’s not something I should laugh about. Andrew has always been comical, but it’s obvious he’s trying to lighten things up.
Andrew’s phone beeps, and he takes it out of his pocket, peering at the screen for a few seconds before glancing at me.
“It’s my mom,” he says, reading the message.
“How is she?” My smile’s strained as I remember another relationship I’ve ruined. Andrew’s mother was like family to me. I loved her very much, and I can only imagine that she hates me now.
Andrew shrugs. “She’s fine. Definitely not a fan of yours yet, and may never be, but with time, who knows.”
I scoff. “She’s never going to forgive me.”
Andrew smiles. “Like I said, maybe one day she will. Mom is the sweetest person I know.”
He’s right, and that’s what hurts. The fact that a woman who used to love me like the daughter she never had now ignores my calls and texts is heartbreaking. Still, I smile at Andrew.
“I embarrassed her and you; if she hates me forever, I wouldn’t blame her.”
From the corner of my eye, I see a familiar dog strut by. Excitement envelopes me as I recognize Tex. Shock quickly replaces the excitement when I realize that there is no way Tex would be outside without his owner. My gaze trails to the leash, and Liam’s face registers.
I do my best to keep my attention on Andrew, but I am aware of Liam with every ounce of my being. Thankfully, Liam doesn’t look up, and he walks out of eyeshot. Still, I’m already full of tension because he is close by.
I’m struggling to focus on anything as the confusion that was on his face earlier pops up in my mind’s view. I know I handled that wrong, but I was too cowed by the guilt I felt about Andrew to talk to him about it.
“Are you listening to me, Penny?”
I snap back to the present, my cheeks flaming pink with embarrassment as Andrew narrows his eyes.
“I’m sorry. I-”
“Are you with Liam now?” He asks.
“We’ve been talking.” I lower my head, feeling grateful that Andrew didn’t see Liam as he walked by.
“Talking?” Andrew asks, surprised. “What does that mean? I’d sincerely be more upset to know you left me over a man who doesn’t know how you feel about him.”
When I don’t respond, he purses his lips. “Penny?”
I laugh. “Andrew, please, I’m sorry, I’m not really comfortable discussing this with you.”
“You’re right. Sorry.” He peeks at his phone again. “I should go. You should, too.” He gets a mischievous smile on his face. “You’ve been distracted since Liam walked past.”
My mouth falls open, and fingers of cold sweep through my body like icy tendrils, freezing me in place. Andrew grins.
