Page 135 of Anything To Be With You

"I don’t want to talk about this." I mutter.

"I do. And I will keep talking about this until it gets through your thick skull."

Now she’s pissing me off. "He ignored me. I told him to come get me if Mason needed me and he didn't. The safety of my child will always come first. Always."

Erin nods calmly. "I understand that. I truly do."

"Do you?" I bark.

"I’ve been in Mason’s life just as long as you have and while I didn’t give birth to him, he’s my boy. He’s aunties boy and he always will be."

"Would you forgive Jake if he did what Archer did?"

"I would beat his ass for doing something like that." Anger at the thought of Jake holding down a child flashes in her emerald green eyes

"Exactly."

"But, I would eventually forgive him. After a ton of groveling, that is." Erin grins. She does love making Jake grovel when he's done something wrong.

I sigh, placing my fork and knife on my empty plate. "I miss him." I confess.

"I know. I can see it in your eyes and it breaks my heart to see you this way. Why not talk this out with him?" she questions. "That man would burn the world down for you."

I look down at the table. "I’m scared."

"Of what?" Erin asks, getting up and moving next to me.

I drop my head back. "I’m scared of getting hurt again." I glance at her. "Josh hurt me with his hands and his sleeping around. Antoni hurt me when he left me for another woman when our relationship was going so well, or so I thought." I take a shaky breath. "I don’t want to get hurt again."

"Oh, babe." Erin wraps her arms around me, stroking my hair. "He’s not going to hurt you, Dani. You know that, right?"

I sniffle. "He did the minute he broke his promise."

"Thanks for the ride, Jakey," I say as I fight with the door handle of his truck. "Why won’t the door open."

"Hold on Doll, I’ll let you out." He laughs as he gets out and rounds the truck.

The door flings open, and I am eye to eye with my best friend’s handsome husband.

"I like you, you’re cute." I boop his nose.

He chuckles as he helps me down. "You and Erin are going to be so hungover at work tomorrow."

I stumble a step. "Are not."

Jake takes my elbow and helps me inside. "Thanks, Jacob." I snort out a laugh and he shakes his head.

Mason comes down the stairs. "Hey, Uncle Jake."

"Hey, big man."

I spin, bumping into the wall. "Hi Bubba!" I squeal and rush him, wrapping him in my arms.

"You drunk, Ma?"

"Pshh, no." I give him a shake, but he doesn’t move.

"She had a few with your auntie," Jake says over my head.

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