Page 41 of Forbidden Desires

Pete's jaw tightens, his expression hardening. I can see his shoulders tightening and I know exactly where his mind is heading before he can say anything.

"It's not your fault, baby. You will not blame yourself for this. If she's pushing us away because she is still dealing with your breakup two years ago, then she needs to deal with it." I pull him into my embrace, hugging him tightly against me. "Would I rather she deal with it while having us around to help her? Fuck yes. But we've been careful and given her as much space and time as we could."

Pete pushes his face into my neck, holding onto me so tight that I have trouble drawing in a full breath. "I didn't mean to hurt her," he whispers. "I thought?—"

"I know," I sigh, rubbing a hand over his back. "I know, baby. But now we need to regroup and come back stronger. Let her know we aren't giving up."

His shoulders sag before he takes a deep breath and pulls slightly from my embrace.

"We can't give up on her," I say firmly, my voice steadying as determination takes root. "We need to figure out how to reach her. How to show her we're not going anywhere."

Pete looks at me, his eyes searching mine. "You think she'll give us another chance?"

"She has to." The words come out stronger than I feel, but I force myself to believe them. "We just have to make sure she knows we're serious. That we're here for her, no matter what."

"And how do we do that?"

I hesitate, because the truth of the matter is, I don't have a fucking clue. Suzie is a whirlwind of emotions, a storm that we've only just understood. But one thing is clear. She's worth it. Every tear, every battle, every ounce of confusion and pain.

"We start by giving her space, but remind her we're still here," I say finally, even though the thought of staying away from her feels like tearing out a piece of my heart. "She needs time to process. To breathe. And when she's ready, we show her. Not just with words, but with actions."

Pete nods slowly, his expression still clouded with guilt. "She said we don't need her," he murmurs, almost to himself. "That we already have each other. But she doesn't get it, does she? She doesn't understand that she's the one we've been waiting for. The one who makes us complete."

I swallow hard because he's right. Suzie doesn't see herself the way we do. She doesn't see how much she means to us already, how much brighter our lives are with her in it.

But she will.

"We'll make her see how important she is to us," I promise, more to myself than to Pete. "We'll make her believe it. No matter how long it takes."

Pete exhales slowly, his shoulders straightening as determination replaces the anguish on his face. "You're right. We're not giving up."

"No," I agree, a small spark of hope flickering back to life in my chest. "We're not."

We stand there for a moment longer, the silence between us heavy but no longer unbearable. Then Pete claps me on the back, his touch grounding me in a way I didn't know I needed.

"Let's figure this out," he says, his voice firm. "For her. For us."

As we leave her apartment building and step into the cool air, I cling to that thought like a lifeline.

For her.

For us.

We walk in silence, our steps echoing against the pavement. The chill in the air bites at my skin, but I barely feel it. My head spins, caught between the weight of what just happened and the determination to fix it.

Pete walks beside me, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his expression a mix of guilt and resolve. As much as Suzie needs to deal with her hurt over Pete's actions two years ago, my sensitive, caring boyfriend is also going to learn to let go of the guilt.

I know he's still blaming himself, even though I told him not to. It's just how he works.

We both get into our car and just sit for a while, but I don't let the silence stretch for too long. "We'll figure this out," I say, breaking through the fog that's settled between us. "We just need to be smart about it."

Pete glances at me, his brow furrowed. "I'm not sure giving her space is the right move."

"I'm not either," I admit, dragging a hand through my hair. "I'm not sure about anything right now, but the last thing she needs is to be pushed any further. I'm pretty sure if she feels cornered, she'll end up shutting us out even more."

He lets out a frustrated huff. "I hate this. Sitting around, waiting for her to decide whether she even wants us."

"I know," I breathe, my throat tightening.

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