Page 77 of The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

It was nice to see his mood lighten up. “Anyway, Alex is someone I wanted to be my girlfriend. But…things are complicated with us now. Although, I’m supposed to see her this weekend—if she shows up—so I can relate to what you’re feeling, being nervous about seeing a girl and not knowing what to expect.”

“Why don’t you just wear a hat?” he teased.

“I wish it were that simple, buddy. Not sure a hat’s gonna fix my problem.”

I would spare Will the details of my relationship drama. As always, though, being around him reminded me that there were far worse problems than my own. I’d continue to pray each day that Will’s outcome would be different than Ryan’s.

A nurse came in to see Will, so I said goodbye and promised to visit him again soon, making a mental note to buy him a cool hat.

On my way down the hall, a soft voice stopped me. “Brayden.”

I turned to find Alex. Her blond hair was tied up, showcasing her slender neck. Her beautiful face held a serious expression.

I cleared my throat. “Hey… I was wondering if I would run into you here.”

She smiled hesitantly. “Hi.”

“Were you visiting Ashlyn?”

Alex shook her head. “Ashlyn is not here anymore.”

My stomach sank. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Discharged.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God.” A long moment of silence passed. “It’s good to see you.” My eyes dropped to her neck. “You look amazing. But that’s nothing new.” I balled my fist, resisting the urge to reach out and hug or kiss her. Don’t do it. The longing was real, though. I’d replayed that last kiss we shared in my head too many times to count. I still had no idea where things stood or what she was expecting out of this weekend. But I knew I needed to let her take the driver’s seat. She was the one with the decision to make, not me. For me, the decision was clear: I wanted to be with her. End of story.

“Do you think we can go somewhere and talk?” she asked, fidgeting with her ring.

“Definitely. Why don’t we get coffees and take them to a park or something? It’s pretty mild out.”

“Sounds good.”

Alex and I said nothing else as we exited the hospital together. The afternoon breeze blew a whiff of her flowery scent toward me, that hint of her essence enough to drive me crazy. Mainly because there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

She drove behind me as I headed to a local café. Alex waited in her car as I ran inside. I ordered her the usual coffee with oat milk and cinnamon, along with a few different pastries. She followed me to a park, where we sat on a bench with our coffees.

Alex pulled the flap back on her lid and blew on the coffee. “So…” she said. “Caitlin came by the other night.”

I licked my lips. “Okay…”

“She and I talked about the situation for the first time.”

I felt a glimmer of hope in my chest. “What did she say?”

“She spent much of the time trying to convince me I should go for it with you. She said enough time had passed that it didn’t matter anymore. She claims it wouldn’t bother her, and that her initial reaction was just out of shock.”

My hopes probably should have gone up upon hearing that, yet the look on her face said not so fast. “Why don’t you look like that’s good news?”

“I don’t really think it is.” She shook her head. “Caitlin loves me, and she wants me to be happy, so she’s sacrificing her own feelings. I don’t trust that she’s truly okay with it.”

Sacrificing her own feelings. Sounded familiar. “Why should you have to be the one to sacrifice?”

“Because that’s what you do for your children.” She exhaled. “Think about the long-term reality of this situation, Brayden. She’s the biggest part of my life. Things like spending holidays together? It would be awkward for both you and her.”

I raised my voice. “That’s not true. It would not be awkward for me. The only reason I would ever feel uncomfortable is if I thought you were uncomfortable.”

“Have you really stopped to imagine it, though?”

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