Page 79 of Beauty Of Her

I half laughed. “I wasn’t his type anymore. My ex-husband fell in love with a man.”

“Oh.” Natalie’s face fell, but her eyes pooled with sympathy. “Did you have any idea?”

“Um, no?” I cleared my throat. “It wasn’t always a loveless marriage, but toward the end, it became messy. He just kept lying to me.”

“For some men, lying is the only thing they’re good at doing.”

We laughed and, for the first time, shared a moment. It was nice.

"Thank you for apologizing," I said sincerely. "It means a lot."

Natalie nodded, craning her neck. "Brett loves you, and I don’t think he’ll ever stop loving you.”

I meant to speak, except a sob escaped instead. “You think?”

“Of course.” She smiled. “I’ve never seen Brett love someone the way he loves you. And I saw that night how you looked at him. I think your bond is what threw me off the most. I have never seen my son in love. It’s real.” She shifted, crossing her legs. “What are you worried about when it comes to being with Brett? And talk to me like I’m a friend and not his mother.”

Shit. We were really going to do this. Taking the deepest of breaths, I opened up. "Honestly, Natalie, it's the age difference that worries me. Brett is at a different stage in his life than I am. I believe he’s still figuring out who he is and what he wants. And then there's me, a divorced single mother trying to rebuild her life. It feels like we're on different paths."

“Is this how you’re going to feel with every man that comes into your life?” Natalie stared back at me with those fiery blue eyes.

“Every man?” The thought raced in my mind because the idea of being with someone other than Brett sent rocks into my stomach and shards of glass to my heart. I wanted him. But to truly want and deserve Brett, I had to be truthful. I leaned back, my heart pounding. “I’m going to be honest with you. My divorce left me with trust issues, and sometimes, I worry that Brett will break my heart too."

“But isn’t finding that great love worth the risk?” Natalie clasped her perfectly manicured nails on the desk, leaning in. “Look, I’m not trying to convince you to get back together with Brett. That’s not why I’m here today. It’s just… I see you. You’re a wonderful and accomplished woman. Your success has opened so many doors for you and your girls. I’d hate to see you suffer personally because of the fear that holds you back.” Natalie's eyes softened as she reached across the desk and placed her hand on mine. “Don’t let fear win.”

Her warm and reassuring touch reminded me of the tenderness that Brett often showered upon me. Suddenly, my heart felt torn between the fear of being hurt again and the possibility of love being worth the risk. My eyes glazed over with fresh tears. When I lifted my gaze to meet Natalie’s warm stare, she nodded, granting me permission to let anything I held inside go.

And I did just that. Soon, my face grew wet from the tears falling, and I felt free for the first time. I wasn’t trying to mask my concerns or hide my hesitations. I was just being me in the moment, and it was incredible. As the tears continued to stream down my face, a weight lifted off my shoulders.

The fear. It was gone. And I was shedding it in front of the least likely person I ever imagined.

Natalie’s hand dangled a floral handkerchief inches from my face. I took the silky rag and dried my face.

“You can keep it.” Natalie gestured to the soaked napkin.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, smiling through the opaque napkin. “So, do you need help with marketing for your business?”

Natalie threw her head back and laughed. “No, sweetie. I don’t. I just needed an excuse to come talk to you.”

“I figured,” I said, allowing a final sob to escape through my chest.

“You’re going to be just fine, Julia. I hope you believe that.”

“I do.” I smiled and nodded. “I really do.”

Natalie left five minutes later, and it was time to answer Brett’s text.

Me

When can we see each other?

I waited, biting my newly manicured light pink nails, waiting for the three dots to appear on the screen.

Brett

Soon.

“This was long overdue.” Amelia held her extremely dirty martini in the air. “Like extremely over-fucking-due.” We clinked glasses, Amelia’s spilling down her hand with gasps and light screams following until she downed half her cocktail. I took a healthy gulp of my vodka soda. “Isn’t this great? Peter has the girls tonight. You’re with me. Life is almost right again.” Amelia spread her arms wide while scanning the attractive bar crowd.

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