Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“What made you get over the differences?”
She smiled and laughed. “I’m not sure I have. I still think four thousand for a Chanel bag is a better investment in my future than an IRA. I doubt we’ll ever see eye to eye on lots of things. But after our first date, he became my go-to person for stories. Silly things—I used to call my parents or Val to tell them something funny a customer did, or I’d call them to vent about my landlord raising my rent. Up until then, I’d never shared the small things that happened each day with anyone I dated. I’d get dressed up and go out on a date, have a solid time… I thought those dinners and nights out were life—but they weren’t. Life is the little things that happen between the fancy outings.”
I nodded. “I get it. But Val and I aren’t really in that different of a place in life.”
“Val thinks you’re supposed to be in a different place. She basically missed out on dating and everything that comes with being single in your twenties because she had Ryan so young. Plus, she’s gun-shy about relationships in general. Her ex-husband really burned her. She was a good wife—loyal and trusting. She didn’t see it coming when he cheated on her. And the fact that the woman was a young girl—she’s got to be thinking if her husband can do that…think about how things will go when she’s in her fifties and you’re still in your thirties.”
My shoulders slumped. “Are you trying to make me feel better? Because you’re doing a pretty shitty job.”
Eve smiled sadly. “I’m sorry. Unfortunately, my only advice to you is to be patient. The more she enjoys each day with you, the more she’ll realize what’s important. She needs to figure things out on her own, and that’s going to take some time. But I can promise you one thing…she’s worth the wait.”
***
I didn’t like the way she’d handled shit.
I didn’t want to be just a summer fling
I didn’t like being hidden from her ex.
But Val had never been intentionally hurtful.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same thing.
I’d tried my hardest to make her feel like shit.
I’ll be over to fuck you at eight.
And for that, I owed her an apology.
I knocked and waited, looking down at my feet.
Val’s smile was hesitant when she came to the door. She also didn’t fully open it to invite me in. “Hey. I didn’t think you were back until later.”
“I jumped on an earlier train.” I looked up at her and caught her eyes. “I’m sorry for the shit I said over text, Val.”
She stepped back and opened the door wide. “It’s me who should be apologizing. Come in.”
For the entire two-hour train ride out here, I’d thought about what Eve had said—how I needed to give Val some space to find her own way. That had been my plan…until I walked into the living room and hauled her against me.
Yeah. Great plan for space.
I buried my face in her hair and inhaled deep. “I fucking missed you.”
“I’m sorry I pretended you were only here to fix the pipes when Ryan showed up, and I’m sorry I let him refer to you as the boy next door.”
“I get it.” I pulled back and brushed her hair behind her ear. “I hate it. But I get it. He was your husband for twenty years, and…you’re still telling yourself this is just a summer fling.”
“Ford…”
I pulled her against me and quieted her against my chest. “Let me finish my apology and then you can talk if you want. Okay?”
She nodded.
“People bring history into new relationships—past experiences, good or bad. You’re bringing blown trust, cheating, and disappointment with you. So you’re hesitant to get attached too fast. The biggest relationship influence I had in my life wasn’t even my own. I grew up watching my parents—who were very much in love and had their time cut too short. So I’m anxious to move forward, afraid to let something good slip through my fingers because we never know how much time we have.”
Val leaned back. She looked bewildered. “Are we sure I’m the one who’s twelve years older? Because honestly, you sound a lot more mature than I’ve acted lately.”
I pressed my lips to her forehead.
When she looked up at me, she smiled sadly. “I’m sorry about making you feel I wanted to hide what’s going on between us.”
I studied her eyes. “What is going on between us, Val?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. But is it possible to have the right feelings at the wrong time? I feel like I’m not ready for anything serious, even though I’m sort of crazy about you. There are so many things I should do for me first.”
It fucking hurt to hear she thought it was the wrong time, but she’d come out of a twenty-year marriage and had only been with one man. I guess it was better she knew now that things with us couldn’t be forever, rather than figuring it out a year down the road.