Page 120 of Designs on You

The doorbell rang and she went to answer it. Her sister stood there giving her that judgmental look, the same one she’d seen whenever she’d looked in the mirror over the past several days.

“Come on in.”

They walked inside the house and into the kitchen. Hazel turned to face her.

“You broke up with Eugene?”

“I did.”

Hazel threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. “I’m so sorry, Natalie.”

That hug felt good. Tears welled up, only this time she didn’t try to fight them back. She let them roll down her cheeks. “I feel awful.”

“Aww, honey. Talk to me.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing. Eugene deserves to build a family of his own.”

Hazel went to the cabinet and pulled out two cups, then made tea for both of them. She slid a cup to Natalie. “Maybe you should allow Eugene the opportunity to make his own choice? He knows who you are, Natalie. He knows who your kids are. He loves all of you, right?”

“So he tells me.” She wrapped her hand around the warm cup, and even though it was hot and humid out, there was something comforting about that warmth.

“And you don’t believe him?”

“I-I don’t know. I want to, but what if somewhere down the road he decides he wants something that I can’t give him?”

Hazel cocked her head to the side. “You do realize there aren’t any guarantees, right? All we can do is love each other fiercely, be honest and open and communicate with each other. And then we hope for the best lives we can live with the ones we love the most.”

Those tears continued to fall. “I’m so hopelessly in love with him, Hazel. And I’m so scared.”

Hazel slipped off her barstool and pulled Natalie against her, holding her while she cried out her sorrows.

Finally, Natalie lifted her head. “What do I do now?”

“What do you want to do? Go back to your life before Eugene, or the life you started to build with him in it?”

She shuddered in an inhale, then let it out and looked directly at her sister. “I miss him so much I can barely breathe. I need him. We all do.”

“Then go do whatever it takes to get your man back.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Eugene was knee-deep in ride modifications, working in his state-of-the-art home office when his phone pinged. Deciding to ignore it, he continued on with the work.

That is, until his phone pinged again. Then again.

“Dammit.”

He swiveled to his other desk and picked up his phone to see a text message—or rather several text messages—from Natalie.

I know you’re home. Answer the door.

I’m out front and I’m not leaving.

Come on, Eugene. I need to talk to you.

He thought about ignoring her. Thinking about her still stung. Seeing her would be even worse. But it wasn’t his style to ignore a problem, so he went downstairs and opened the door, leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed. “ ’Sup?”

“Can I come in?”

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