Page 93 of The Valentine's Bet

Then I realized that Ifeelthings for her, too.

But I couldn’t bring myself to admit it to her in the moment. Because it felt as if fear itself was gripping me and choking the words in my throat as images of past brokenness and the looming threat of heartbreak surged to the forefront of my mind. I was too scared to face the truth—too scared of what it could mean for our friendship and for myself.

So when she walked away, I let her go without a fight.

“So...” Weston glances around. “I take it you didn’t say it back and it’s not a happily-ever-after situation...”

“Not even close. I virtually lost my ability to speak.”

“Oh jeez.” He groans. “That never goes over well with women.”

“No ... no, it doesn’t. And considering it’s been days since we’ve spoken, there’s pretty much no chance I’ll ever be able to make things right with her—and I don’t even know where I’d begin.”

“Well, for starters, you could tell her you’re sorry,” Weston says, giving me a look. “I hadnoidea thatshewas falling for you like that, but Iknewyouwere.”

I shake my head. “I assumed it was just a silly crush. I didn’t realize that I’d gotten in so deep until now. I feel like I’m going through a horrible breakup, and we never even dated.”

Weston chuckles. “So, you’ve been pounding down the ice cream?”

“Ha ha,” I say, warily glancing toward the kitchen, thinking of the tubs in the trash. “Maybe a little.”

“So, let me get this straight. You ruined her date. Then she told you she lovesyou, and now she’s moved out and gone without another word?”

“Yeah ... I emailed her the tickets to The Band Allen this morning.”

He gives me a look. “Oh boy.”

“What? I thought it was a nice thing to do.”

“Uh, did you say anything else in the email?”

“No, I didn’t. I figured she wouldn’t want to hear it, so I just sent the tickets, because, even though she technically lost the bet, it was all my fault. I’m sure she can find someone to go with her to the concert.”

“For someone who’s always the first to give relationship advice—despite being a total cynic—you’ve got this whole thingallwrong.” Weston huffs, leaning back on the loveseat. “And you’ve yet to tell me the most important thing...”

My stomach flips. “What’s that?”

“Do you loveher?”

I tense my jaw. “It doesn’t matter. Even if I did ... I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t—”

“Parker,” Weston interjects, holding up a hand. “Do you love her?”

I let out a ragged sigh. “Maybe.”

He rolls his eyes. “Okay, sowhyare you not with her? Because from my perspective,you’rethe only reason you’re not happy right now. You’ve been so caught up in not getting hurt that you’re hurting yourself in the process.”

“You make no sense.”

“Yes, I do,” Weston argues. “That’s your whole problem, Parker. You look at what happened between your mom and dad—and even your sister—and just blindly assume that it’s your destiny, too. But you’ve yet to ever look at yourself. Look at how different you are from them. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are, and you’re genuinely content with your life. You’re not some serial dater, and you’ve never tried to find someone just to fill a void. You are protective and supportive of the people you love. You give more than anyone I’ve ever met. You care for people so genuinely. And you have so much to offer. But the moment something turns romantic, you run. And I get it. I understand why. And I’m not trying to diminish what you’ve been through. But Parker ... you’renotyour parents.”

“You don’t know that,” my voice breaks.

“Ido.I do know. Everyone knows that. And you deserve to find love.”

I close my eyes. I know he’s right. I’mnotmy parents. But it doesn’t change the fact that I royally messed up everything between Amy and me. “I’m the biggest red flag of them all, Wes. I’m not the kind of guy she deserves.”

“We all make mistakes. I’m pretty sure that dating someone while secretly being in love with someone else is a pretty big red flag—and that’s what Amy was doing. I mean, think about it—shelivedwith you while apparently secretly pining for you. I’d never be okay with dating someone who was in that situation. But again, everyone makes mistakes. It doesn’t mean they deserve to be completely written off.”

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