Page 114 of Family Bonds- Garrett & Justine

She blinked her eyes a few times and a tear fell. He hated she was crying, but they needed this conversation too.

In his mind it was overdue.

“I don’t know what the future holds,” she said.

“That’s right,” he said firmly. “You can’t think beyond what is happening in your life and that is all you think of. And you want me to be a mind reader and I’m not. Is love enough? I’d like to think it is, but I have no idea because we don’t talk about it.Youavoid it.”

She snarled at him. “I’d say right now you’re the one that has been doing the avoiding. First with your neighbor and now with this. At least you were man enough to admit it with Vanessa.”

“Don’t bring that up again,” he said. “I did admit it. I’ll even admit to this, but I told you why. Maybe I’ve been burned enough by people looking at me differently because of it, and because I don’t know where things will lead with us, it could be I didn’t want to put myself out there again. Can you blame me when all you do is talk about having a few months left? And that you don’t know where you’re going or what you’re doing?”

“Neither do you,” she said, crossing her arms.

“No, Justine. You’re wrong. I know what I’d like to do. But I’m not making that decision because I don’t want to ruin what we’ve got. I’d have no problem staying here. There, you happy? But if it meant staying here without you or going to Boston where I’ve lived most of my entire life and have a job there to be with you, it’s an easy decision too. I feel like it works either way, but I haven’t wanted to tell you that.”

“Why?” she asked. “It makes no sense.”

He ran his hands through his hair. “I can’t win with you. It makes complete sense,” he said. “I don’t want my decision to put pressure on you to make yours. You need to do that yourself. Now you know where I stand and it’s still letting you decide.”

“See, you’re right,” she said. “You told me you’re willing to do either thing. I knew that already.”

“How?” he asked.

“How could I not?” she asked. “You almost wear your heart on your sleeve and yet there are things you clam up tight about and it’s frustrating. We talked about this before. About being there for each other and opening up and it feels it’s one-sided.”

“You’re frustrated?” he said. “That’s a joke. You’ve been frustrating me since the minute I met you.”

“That’s rude and hurtful,” she said. “I should leave.”

“Don’t go,” he said.

“I need to,” she said. “Before we say more things to each other we’ll regret.”

She got her shoes to put on, then grabbed her purse, and walked out the door.

He wanted to go after her and knew she was right. They needed time.

It’s just he’d never been someone to walk away from a fight.

As he’d said already, he’d had more frustration since he met her than anything else.

No, not true.

He had love too.

And wondered if he just threw it away.

35

LEARNING THE HARD WAY

“You’re going to be late for work,” Justine said forty minutes later when she walked down to the main door to let Garrett up to her apartment.

“I’ve got time,” he said. “And if I’m late, then I am.”

He always put his patients first and for him to not worry gave her pause.

“I don’t think they will appreciate that,” she said.

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