Page 78 of The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

“No.” I shook my head. “Because I don’t need to. But if you can’t accept the situation, we’re destined to fail.”

I couldn’t believe this. Caitlin had given her blessing, and Alex was still scared? Here I was thinking the only obstacle was that Caitlin hadn’t come around. Maybe this was about more than just Caitlin’s feelings. Then again, I didn’t have a child and couldn’t relate to how deep Alex’s guilt must be. If Alex wasn’t going to budge, though, we were a lost cause. As much as I wanted to, I wasn’t going to beg.

I sat across from her stone faced, my coffee getting cold because I could no longer stomach it.

Her eyes watered. “I’m sorry, Brayden.”

“Yeah, me too.” I stood, needing to get away before I said something I’d regret. “There’s nothing more to say, I guess.”

My original plan had been to invite her to have dinner with me tonight. That wasn’t going to happen. For the first time I realized how badly I needed to distance myself if Alex didn’t think we had a future. The challenge would be figuring out how to do that while continuing to support this project.

“I’m gonna head back to the hotel,” I announced as I started to walk away, leaving her sitting on the bench.

She called after me. “Brayden…”

Refusing to turn around, I kept on walking. That was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. But the sooner I learned to walk away, the better I’d be.

I got in my car and took off.

***

Later that night, holed up in my hotel room, Owen’s name lit up my phone. It had been a while since I’d caught up with him.

I answered. “What’s up, Dawson?”

“Hey, man. Long time no speak.”

“How’s everything going?” I asked.

“Can’t you hear how everything’s going?”

The sound of a baby crying was pretty much all I could hear. Owen’s fiancée, Devyn, had just had a baby boy. So they had their hands full.

“Earlier today, Holden filled me in on everything that’s been going on with you,” he said. “You’ve been hooking up with that woman from Ryan’s House, and I didn’t know about any of it.”

“What made him tell you today?”

“Well, I told him I’d spotted you practically mauling some woman outside our building the other day. He said that was Alex. You hadn’t even mentioned you were dating anyone. God, I’ve really been out of the loop, haven’t I?”

“You’ve had some things on your plate. And there’s nothing happening anymore anyway.” I shut my eyes for a moment. “It’s over, and I don’t really feel like talking about it tonight.” I sighed. “It’s been a day.”

“Shit. I’m sorry. Holden told me about the whole daughter thing, too—that you used to date her in college. That’s some shit luck. It’s not her biological daughter, though, right?”

“Stepdaughter, technically. But it doesn’t matter. She considers her a daughter.”

Owen’s fiancée had a younger brother and sister he’d become a father figure to. “Think about how close you’ve become to Heath and Hannah in the short time you’ve known them. Now, imagine if several years went by on top of that. There’s no way I’m ever gonna be more important to Alex than her daughter. And she’s decided it needs to be a choice.”

“Well, that just sucks, Brayden. Truly. It’s so rare for you to have these kinds of feelings for a woman. And to have this happen…” He let out a long breath into the phone. “Each one of us has ended up with the person we’re meant to be with, and the same thing will happen to you. I’m sure of it. If Alex is the one, she’ll come around. And if not? Someone better will come along.”

I stared out my window at the dark parking lot below. “I thought I’d finally found my person.” My voice cracked. “Thought I was gonna finally join the ranks with you guys. Finally settle down.” I paused. “I used to feel pressure about joining your club, though deep down I didn’t want to. But what I had with Alex was easy. There was no pressure. It all fell together very naturally. And I’m sorry you’re not gonna get to know her. Because she’s really special.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

“Thanks,” I murmured.

“Brayden, if I haven’t said this already, I’m damn proud of you. I mean, we’re all involved in Ryan’s House to some extent, but you’ve really taken the reins on that. He would be so proud of you, too.”

I looked up at the ceiling. “This whole Caitlin thing better not be Ryan fucking with me from up there.”

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