Page 132 of Conquering Conner

I want to say yes, but I don’t.

I can’t. Not if I want a chance at being the kind of make she needs me to be.

The kind of man that deserves her.

“I needed you to know that you don’t have to marry Bradford to save his trust fund, if that’s what this is really about.”

“The money was for my mother.” She chews on her bottom lip for a moment, choosing her words carefully. “It was never for me. I thought… I thought maybe if I gave it to her, I could finally be free of her.”

For some reason I think of those documentaries about animals raised in cages their entire lives. When their cage doors are finally open they don’t even recognize it for what it is.

Freedom.

“I love you.” I shrug, shaking my head slowly. “I’ll never stop… but I have to move on, Henley, I have to try, and you have to let me.”

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