Page 38 of Last Resort

Maci nodded. She’d intentionally tried not to dream of a future with him, but every time they gave in to their off-the-charts chemistry it became harder. She knew if he’d started talking about commitments, she’d never have the strength to deny them both.

Claire shook her head. “So, it’s not that you’re not with him because you don’t have feelings for him. And I already know he has feelings for you.”

Maci definitely had feelings for Chance Patterson. “It’s complicated, you guys.”

“It always is.” All three women said it at the same time, then laughed.

“Can’t be any more complicated than Brax and I,” Tessa said. “He thought I was Walker’s nanny, not his mother.”

Claire shrugged. “Luke wasn’t sure if I was a murderer at first.”

Kayleigh grinned. “I thought Weston was the groundskeeper, not my bodyguard.”

Maci couldn’t help but smile herself. “I guess it is always complicated.”

“So, what are you going to do?” Tessa asked.

“About what?”

Claire squeezed her hand. “About the baby, about Chance, about everything. You have the opportunity to point things in the direction you want them to go.”

“Chance and I are going to be coparents and maybe friends. That’s it.” Even if she was the one who had to draw the line between them. Chance was always protecting her, and this was her chance to protect him for once.

“Uh-huh,” Tessa said. “Do you still want to be with him?”

Yes. It wasn’t even a question. Maci wanted everything with him, she just wasn’t sure that she could have it. So, once again, she took the coward’s way out. “I don’t know.”

Kayleigh called her on it, eyebrow raised. “Yes, you do. You just don’t want to admit it.”

“I already said—”

“We know.” Kayleigh rolled her eyes. “You’re not a good fit. You’ll drag him down. Blah, blah, blah. Have you ever asked Chance what he wants?”

Tessa moved to sit on the coffee table directly in front of Maci, grabbing her hands tightly. “Instead of trying to protect him, why don’t you let him make his own choices? It’s what you would want if the roles were reversed.”

She winced. “But he doesn’t know—”

“Then tell him.” Kayleigh squished onto the table with Tessa, setting a hand on Maci’s knee.

Claire slipped an arm through Maci’s and suddenly they were all connected. “Chance is a big boy who knows how to weigh risk and rewards. He’s capable of choosing whether he stays or goes and in what capacity he wants to be in your life, but it’s unfair of you to take that choice from him.”

“I’m scared. I don’t want to hurt him.”

“You already have,” Claire said softly, grimacing when Maci flinched. “I don’t say it to make you feel bad, but you have to know. Pushing him away when anyone can see that he wants to be closer is hurting him. Especially when he has no idea what he’s done wrong.”

“He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“So, tell him that. Talk to him. It’s okay to be scared, but you two are going to have to find a way to coexist for the rest of your lives. Wouldn’t it be better to do it with a clean slate?”

Maci didn’t even have to think about it. The girls were right. Chance deserved to make his own decisions, but how could she tell him everything he needed to know? How could she give him the reason he needed to walk away from her?

And how would she survive once he did?

“You don’t have to do it right now, but just think about it. Okay?” Tessa pulled Maci off the couch and into a hug. “We’re here for you.”

“Anytime, anywhere,” Claire added, snuggling into Maci’s back.

“Whatever you need.” Kayleigh slid an arm around her waist.

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