Page 69 of Big Girl Panties

The sharp knock on my apartment door made me jump. Karen, startled from her purring, shot me a look that clearly blamed me for the disturbance before stalking off to her cat tree with wounded dignity.

For a moment, I considered not answering. It was probably Davina coming to save me from spiraling, but it was too late.

"Brooke? I know you're in there."

Matt's voice hit me like a physical blow. I sat frozen on my couch, heart hammering. He was supposed to be in Los Angeles, filming some commercials. He wasn't supposed to be here, seeing me like this, red-eyed and puffy-faced, wearing pajamas that had seen better nights.

Karen decided this was worth investigating and sauntered over to the door, sitting primly and staring at it as if she could see through it.

"Please open the door," he said, and I could hear the worry threading through his voice.

I shuffled to the door, catching sight of myself in the hallway mirror. I looked exactly as terrible as I felt. Karen followed me and now sat beside me, her judgmental gaze moving between me and the door.

For a moment, I considered telling him I was sick, that I'd talk to him tomorrow. But when I looked through the peephole and saw his face, worried, tired, still wearing the same clothes he'd probably traveled in, I couldn't do it.

I opened the door.

"Jesus, Brooke." He stepped inside immediately, his hands reaching for me. "Are you okay?"

I wanted to fall into his arms, to let him hold me until the hurt went away. But all I could think about were those comments.

"I'm fine." I stepped back. "I was just… busy."

Matt's eyebrows drew together. "Busy?" He was dressed casually in dark joggers and a black hoodie that somehow made him look even bigger and more perfect than usual. His hair was messy, like he'd been running his hands through it.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in LA, flexing for cameras?"

He stood silently for a long moment, like he was contemplating his answer, while Karen wound around his legs like she was trying to trip him. "When you didn't answer any of my calls or texts, I called the café. Davina answered."

"And let me guess, she told you that I was probably at home spiraling."

His gaze flashed to my open computer screen. Karen had positioned herself directly in front of it, as if she were trying to block his view too. "Looks like she was right." He strolled past me and closed the computer, earning an approving meow from Karen.

"I wasn't going to read them."

"But you did?"

I nodded miserably. "I couldn't help it. It was like watching a car crash, except the car was my self-esteem and the crash was my face." My shoulders sagged as a mix of emotions washed over me. I was embarrassed by the comments, but also embarrassed that I'd given in and read them. I was sad and hurt and suddenly self-conscious around him.

"Brooke…"

"Matt, I'm fine. Really. You didn't have to fly back here."

"You're not fine." He reached for my hand. "And I know this because I wasn't fine the first time it happened to me."

My gaze shot up to meet his. "You? What could they possibly have to say about you? You're like... genetically perfect. You're what happens when good genes have a successful meeting."

He laughed. "They criticized everything. My nationality, my height, my wrestling skills, my long hair, my brown eyes, the way I breathe, probably. It drove me so crazy I almost stepped away from it all."

"But you didn't."

"No, because a friend showed up at my door and closed my laptop. He told me there's always going to be someone who doesn't like me, but that was none of my business."

I blinked. "None of your business?"

"Nope. You will never be able to make everyone happy. You are never going to be enough for everyone, and that's okay." A slow smile spread across his face. "Because you are enough for me."

Karen let out the loudest, most satisfied purr I'd ever heard from her, as if she was saying, "Finally! I've been trying to tell you this all day, you ridiculous human!"