Page 104 of Fear of Intimacy

“Are flowers too much?”

“Not at all.” I smiled, shaking my head. I imagined Henry all dressed up, walking over to Rosette’s with flowers in his hands. Too cute.

The way he fiddled with his ring and then his coat sleeves I could tell he was nervous. This would be his first time since Carol’s passing that he put himself out there. He was married for so long that dating wasn’t an option. It was going to takesome time, but I had no doubt that he would find someone who could make him happy again. Rosette seemed like the right person for that.

“You will have a fantastic time. Don’t overthink it.” I sent him an encouraging smile. He could do this. He sent me a small smile back along with a nod.

“Do you think I’m ready for this?” His question was probably one of the most vulnerable ones he ever asked. The hopefulness in his eyes made my heart ache.

“The only person who can answer that is you.”

A lot of people thought therapists could solve all your problems. That they’d tell you all the answers and make you better. We didn’t do that. Yes, we gave advice and listened to the person. But it was up tothemto do the work. To make the change inside themselves. We just gave them a little nudge and the resources to make that possible.

The only person who could answer if Henry was ready, was Henry. I couldn’t decide that for him.

“But I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be open-minded going forward. You never know where something can lead you.”

“Thank you, Doc,” Henry said after a few moments.

“Anytime.”

30

TASHA

“They’re just about to hit the ice,” Terry, the usual security guard, called after me as he let me through to the lower-level seats.

“Thank you!” I yelled over my shoulder as I practically ran toward my section. I was running late.

After Mr. Waltham left, I was almost ready to leave but my work phone rang. It ended up being a patient in crisis. There was no way I couldn’t answer. After making sure they were okay, I had less than twenty minutes to get home, change, and make it to the arena.

I looked like shit, not having had time to touch up my makeup, and threw on the first pair of jeans I found, along with Trevor’s jersey.

Weaving around people, I jogged down the stairs and caught sight of Josie. She glanced over at me as I approached. I scooted in front of a few people to get to her.

“Hey.” I greeted, slightly out of breath.

“You made it!” she yelled over the roaring crowd.

“Hey, babycakes.” Mateo, Wyatt’s younger brother, peered around Josie with a grin.

“Babycakes?” I raised an eyebrow at the nickname. “Please tell me you don’t say that to girls.”

“Nope, just reserved for you.” He winked. I shook my head but my lips twitched in amusement.

“Is Mila here?” I leaned close to Josie so I wouldn’t have to yell as loud.

“Yeah, she’s grabbing us drinks. Lydia was going to come but she had to work.”

I took in the ice rink, seeing both teams skating around and warming up. I missed Trevor’s entrance. I searched for his number, grinning widely when I found him next to Wyatt and Bryton.

“Yay, you made it,” Mila said. I turned just in time to see her walking toward us with her hands full of drinks. Reaching out, I grabbed two beers from her.

I ended up giving her my seat and moved around to Josie’s other side with Mateo. With two beers in my hands, Mateo reached out to grab one, but I jerked them away.

“Nope.”

“Babycakes.”

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