Page 33 of The Homewrecker's Fate

“Perspective.” He grinned while setting aside the basket of food I’d made, so he could be closer. “You need to shift yours, Avi. Your emotions were never the problem. They didn’t lie to you. Everything you felt was genuine. We’ll never know if Rich was genuine in his feelings, since he can’t tell the truth to save himself here lately. The one thing you can trust is that you love deeply and it takes some time to get over the fact that the person you gave that to didn’t cherish it like the gift it was. None of that is on you. In fact, I bet if you really take a good look back, you had doubts back then, even if you didn’t want to acknowledge them.”

“I did start to wonder just how selfish he was when he wouldn’t relent about me moving and leaving my mother behind when he supposedly had no one holding him back from his end.”

“See,” Brax stated knowingly. “You knew there was something wrong. You hoped that wasn’t the case, and you loved anyway. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Except the fact that it got me hurt and made my child’s life far more complicated before she’s even been able to take her first breath.”

“There are no guarantees in life. People get hurt. The one thing I do know is that your daughter will be just fine.”

“How can you know that?”

“Because I’m a smart man and what I know of her mom means she’s going to have everything she needs to succeed in life. Love and loyalty are the language you speak, Avi. Don’t change it because Rich was an idiot and made you doubt yourself.”

“How are you still single?”

He chuckled at my question. “Mostly, because I am incredibly picky. Then there’s Mel.”

“Mel?” That sent a niggle of worry to prod at my anxiety.

“Yeah, some women I’ve dated in the past have put their foot down about me remaining friends with Mel. When they do, they’re not the person I choose.”

“That’s dumb. You have been friends almost your entire lives, right?”

“Yep. She was there standing up for me during the bullying years.”

“Aww,” I cooed. “She protected you?”

“She did.”

“I knew from the first time I met Mel that she was a good person.”

“Me too. That’s why I have always chosen her.”

“She would never force that choice, though.”

“Nope, and that’s the other reason. Anyone who would ask you to get rid of an important person in your life doesn’t deserve to be there. It might be a little different if Mel had ever been inappropriate or mean, but even my exes who made that demand could never give me a reason that Mel had to go other than they weren’t comfortable with my best friend being another woman I was close to.”

“That’s idiotic.”

“I agree.”

“You won’t have that problem with me,” I assured him. “I happen to adore Mel.”

Brax grinned at me. “Even though she might be having my baby?” The question wiped the grin off his face far too quickly for my liking.

“Even if. You can’t change what has already happened any more than I can.” I pointed to my belly. “I can’t make Rich not be the father to this little girl and you’re still here, knowing you’ll have to deal with him twice as much if he decides to pull his head out of his ass and be in his daughter’s life.”

“Yeah, but you and Rich aren’t best friends.”

“Maybe not, but I’m not worried about you and Mel. It’s weird because if you had asked me how I’d feel about this scenario a year ago, I might have told you I’d run for the hills and hide from all of you.”

Brax threw his head back and laughed. “That’s probably a fair option, Avi.”

I shrugged and then leaned my head against his shoulder. “It would have been until I met Mel and then you. Now, I can’t imagine going through this without you guys.”

Brax leaned in and took my lips in a possessive kiss that made my toes curl. His right hand propped him up so that his body hovered up and around mine. His left caressed the side of my face until that hand slid further back until he dug his fingers into my hair. It was like he couldn’t get close enough with just a kiss. I felt it down to my bones.

I grabbed hold of his shoulders and then slowly dragged my hands up, scraping my nails along the exposed skin of his neck and then threaded my fingers into the short hairs at his nape. The feel of Braxton’s shiver underneath my fingertips caused my pulse to race. I had finally given this beautiful man something back. Logically, I knew there wasn’t a competition to see who could give more to the other, but that didn’t stop my mind from wandering to dangerous places. There was always a niggling worry in the back of my mind that I wouldn’t be enough. After everything Rich put me through, I knew part of it was that. If he loved me the way he claimed, why hadn’t he stuck around and come clean, told me the truth, or tried to stay? Part of me wondered if it was because I wasn’t enough. It was absolutely insane because I wouldn’t have wanted him if the truth had come out, same as I didn’t now, but being cheated on and turned into the homewrecker in the scenario had messed with my mind a bit.

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