Page 70 of Fierce-Hyde

“You know what I think?” Raina asked.

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“I think you’ve got a major crush going on.”

She snorted. “I think we are beyond crushes at this point. I’ve seen him naked.”

Raina laughed. “That isn’t what I mean. I mean, it’s a mental thing.”

“Yeah, I’m mental all right,” she said, frowning and attacking her salad. Her fork hit the container hard enough to poke a hole in the bottom.

She cringed and Raina rolled her eyes.

“Stop it,” Raina said. “You’ve become emotionally invested in a short time.” That is what this is about. You’re nervous in a few ways.”

“How is that?” she asked.

“Excitement to see him again. That’s the crush part. You’re giddy. I was like that with Cody too. It just means there is something there more than attraction, but attraction is a fantastic thing.”

“That’s good,” she said. “Because I feel that part. No worries there. Not sure if I tick the box for him though. Or enough to keep him.”

“Wow,” Raina said. “I never expected you to doubt yourself like that. Tori, you’re beautiful.”

“Thank you, but it’s not that. It’s just that I’m more simple or plain. I don’t put a lot of makeup on or wear tight-fitting clothing.”

“Do you know for sure that is what Hyde even likes?” Raina said.

She frowned. “No.”

“Then why are you saying that? You’re putting preconceived notions in your head again based on how he looks, aren’t you?”

She put her head on the table they were eating at just like she had Raina’s island days before. “Why do I keep doing this and not even know I’m doing it?”

“Because you’re scared,” Raina said softly. “You can tell me.”

“I am,” she said. “I have all these worries that I won’t be enough for him.”

“Talk to him about it. Could be he is thinking the same thing and you won’t know until you say it.”

Considering Hyde had said a few times he wasn’t the person he was in the past, her best friend made a good point.

“You’re right. I will.”

“We can eat fast while you think of what you’re going to say. Want me to help you?” Raina asked.

“No,” she said. “I need to do that part on my own. Now that I know what I didn’t realize I was doing it will help.”

“Then I’m glad I could do it.”

“How long did it take for Duke to stop crying on Sunday when I left? Sorry about that.”

Raina smiled. “It’s fine. He has those moments. He was having fun with you and didn’t want you to leave. There is nothing wrong with it.”

“No,” she said. “There isn’t. I love being around him.”

“You love kids in general,” Raina said. “You want your own and that is why you are feeling this way. You’re seeing time slipping by and trying to find a man you could be with and you’re concerned that you might waste time with someone that won’t work out. That’s it, right? It’s what has been going through your mind for the past few years.”

“It sounds really stupid when you put it into words like that,” she said. Even if it was true.

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