Page 8 of If My Wishes Came True
“We got lucky though,” I go on after taking a swig of my drink. “We ended things without any drama, but I think it’s because we both knew we didn’t belong together.”
Sunny and Dex’s connection is so electric, you can feel it in the atmosphere. He and I never had anything remotely like that.
Wait a second…is that what I felt with Charlie?
Jenna, stop it. You know nothing about this man.
“I wish I could say it was like that for me and Nico,” Vanessa tells me. “Once we crossed that line, it felt like there was no going back. It was either stay together as a couple, or lose him as a friend. And at that point, he was the best friend I’d ever had. I thought the choice was clear. But then we got engaged, and that’s when I started to worry that something was missing. I knew I loved him—and I still do—but it’s not the earth-shattering love I’ve always wanted.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know. Maybe I read too many romance novels, and have unrealistic expectations. I mean, he’s a stand-up guy. And easy on the eyes, too. I’d show you a picture, but I deleted them all a few weeks ago. I kept going back through them and wondering what woman in her right mind would give up a man that good-looking.”
“I’m really sorry you went through that, Vanessa. I know how hard it must have been. But I think you did the right thing,” I tell her.
My mind flashes back to that night with Hunter in my college apartment, when I gave back my engagement ring. I see the look in his eyes as clearly as if he were sitting next to me, and it tears my heart apart all over again.
Hunter Reed.With his dirty-blond hair and ocean-blue eyes, we looked like Barbie and Ken together. Like the wedding cake toppers you always see. I thought we were made for each other. I thought we’d be together forever. But it didn’t work out that way.
Don’t go there, Jenna, I beg myself, then take a swig of beer before Vanessa sees my lip quiver.
“Thank you,” she goes on with an appreciative smile. “I just hope Nico can forgive me.”
“One day, he’ll understand,” I tell her. “You let him go so he can find the happiness he deserves, too.”
Vanessa tilts her head. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
For a split second, I consider telling her about my relationship with Hunter…
But I can’t.
I’d be opening Pandora’s box. And the last time I did that, I completely fell apart.
I don’t think I have it in me to go through that again.
So I tell Vanessa about Scott instead. A much less devastating disaster.
“I’ve known for a while now that I don’t want children,” Ibegin to explain, in between sips of beer. “I just never realized how hard it would be to find a partner who’s okay with that. IthoughtI’d found that with Scott. I met him years ago, after I moved to Pittsburgh. We flipped houses together.”
“You’re a house flipper?” Vanessa asks with an excited glint in her eye. “Those are my favorite shows to watch on HGTV.”
I smile. “I used to be. I went to school for architecture, but didn’t want to use my degree in a traditional job, so I decided to try my luck flipping houses. I started out on my own and did reallywell. Scott was a real estate agent, and I was his biggest competition.”
Vanessa smirks. “I bet he didn’t like that.”
I laugh. “No, he didn’t. So he convinced me to join forces. He was incredibly irritating at first. He always thought he knew better than me. But when I threatened to kick him to the curb, he started taking me seriously. Once we found our groove, we made a great team. And one night, after our biggest sale, I kissed him. It was impulsive—we’d had some champagne to celebrate—but we’d been spending so much time together, I guess he started to grow on me.”
“Classic enemies-to-lovers,” Vanessa says, beaming. “That’s my favorite romance novel trope.”
I giggle and take a sip of beer before I go on. “It was definitely unexpected. Scott was even more stunned than I was.I mean, he’s a cute guy, but the type who has no idea he’s attractive. I think he thought I was way out of his league. After I kissed him, he confessed he’d had a massive crush on me since we started working together. So we began dating. I told him right off thebat that I didn’t want kids, and he said he didn’t either…” I trail off with a sigh.
“Something tells me he changed his mind,” Vanessa says with a wince.
I nod. “He was twenty-four, and I think he would have said anything to keep sleeping with the girl of his dreams. The first time we broke up was his twenty-fifth birthday. He had one of those quarter-life crises, and started wondering if he did want to be a dad one day. So he left, and that should’ve been the end of it.”
“It’s never that simple,” Vanessa says, shaking her head.
“After a month apart, he said he was absolutely miserable without me, and begged me for another chance. He promised he’d taken enough time to think about things, and he said he was sure he didn’t want children. So we got back together. Six months later, he started having doubts again. That time, I was the one who broke things off. For good.”
“Jenna, I’m so sorry,” Vanessa says, reaching for my hand. “That’s brutal.”
“I should have seen it coming,” I say with a wry laugh. “Live and learn, I guess. Scott’s married with a baby on the way now. We don’t talk, but we’re still Facebook friends.”
