Page 59 of Leo

Now she was crying again.

“Hormones!” She sniffed. She had called Michael and asked him to come over.

“I know you are miserable right now and I hate to add to it…”

“Go right ahead.” She waved a sodden tissue at him.

“What possessed you to say those things to him?”

She looked down at her hands, the tissue crumpled and damp in her grip. "I didn't mean to. It just came out. I was scared, and I just... lashed out."

Michael sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know he didn't deserve that, right? You just dumped the news on him and did not give him time to process. And right on the tail of it, you made him know in no uncertain terms that the pregnancy was inconvenient."

"I know," she whispered, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. "I know I messed up. But what do I do now? How do I fix this?"

Michael leaned forward, his expression softening. "You talk to him. You tell him how you feel, and you apologize. It is not going to be easy, but it is the only way."

She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "You're right. I need to make this right. He said he will not be back for a week. You should have seen the look on his face. Michael, it felt as if he was saying goodbye.”

Michael frowned, contemplating her words. "Maybe he needs time to cool off, to come to terms with everything. But you cannot wait forever.

As soon as he gets back, you need to have that conversation. Be honest with him about your fears and your regrets. Show him that you are committed to working through this together. How do you feel about him?”

It was her time to frown. “It’s complicated.”

“Uncomplicate it, darling. The man clearly has feelings for you, and I saw it that day of the ceremony. Besides which, he would never have agreed to go such lengths for you if that were not the case.”

He swept a hand around the widened space that was beginning to take shape. “He made it possible for you to get this, to realize your dream.” He turned to look at her. “It seems to me that he has been the one giving and you were the one taking.

You told me that the bastard who brought you so low had nothing to do with the way you are acting, but I disagree. You are still allowing him to color your life. And what is worse, you are taking it out on a good man. One who cares about you. If you are not careful, that good man is going to leave without a backward look.”

Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes, the tears she had thought over and done with, leaking through the closed lids. “It might be too late, and I suppose you’re right.” Opening her eyes, she stared at a point over his left shoulder.

“I went through a period of guilt after the anger and pain of his betrayal. I was always working, was obsessed to prove to Ingrid that I deserved to be a partner and not just an employee. I would research recipes, stay back after everyone had left to experiment and would forget the time or the fact that we had a date.

I resented the time spent away from my baking and it showed. He would teasingly say to me that he was going to have to become an ingredient for me to actually see him. He would be so nice about it, so patient and forgiving, that I took it for granted. Took him for granted.”

Michael waved a dismissive and impatient hand. “Greg was a tool. I don’t care if you spent forever in the kitchen without coming out to take a breath, what he did and with your best friend at that was despicable and showed he had no spine and little class.

Now you are with a man who is the complete opposite and you would do well to remember that.”

“I pushed him away because I was afraid of what loving someone again might mean. I was afraid of losing myself in a relationship like I had before. But now, I see how wrong I was. He deserves better than that. He deserves better than me."

Michael shook his head. "He deserves the truth. He deserves to know that you are scared and that you are willing to work on it. He deserves a chance to decide for himself what he wants. Do not take that choice away from him."

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "You're right. I need to be brave, not just for him, but for myself too. I cannot let my past dictate my future."

"Exactly," Michael agreed. "It's time to move forward, to let go of the past and embrace the possibilities of the future. You owe it to yourself to be happy."

She gave a small, determined nod. "I'll do it. I will talk to him as soon as he gets back."

Michael smiled, a reassuring warmth in his eyes. "That's the spirit. Just remember, no relationship is without its challenges. It is how you handle them that defines the strength of your bond."

She managed a weak smile in return. "Thank you, Michael. I do not know what I'd do without you."

"You would figure it out," he said with a wink. "You're stronger than you think, and you deserve every bit of happiness coming your way."

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