Page 37 of Summer Fling
He sighed and looked away. "A year. She wasn't crazy when I first met her. I thought she was a sweet girl, and after a few months, she started showing some signs of jealousy. She wanted to know where I was at all times. She didn't like me going out with my brothers. It was a gradual thing, so I didn't notice it right away."
It was my turn to cover his hand with mine.
"As time went on, she demanded more of my time and attention. I wanted to see my family for Sunday dinner. I wanted to go out with my brothers."
"What did you do?"
"Eventually, I went, and she would call to yell at me. And you know the rest. When I decided to break things off, she announced she was pregnant."
"Do you think she did it on purpose?" I asked him. "She could feel you pulling away and wanted a surefire way to keep you close?"
He grimaced. "I have no way of knowing. We used condoms the entire time. She'd said she wasn't on birth control. She couldn't remember to take pills, and the one time she got an IUD, it was so painful she had it removed. It's possible the condom failed. I don't think it matters at this point. Our relationship is over, and I could never regret Lilliana."
"Of course not. I was just curious." It made a difference to me. How conniving was Oakley? How far would she take the court case? Would she fight him, or would she eventually be reasonable?
He tipped his head to the side. "What about you? Who was your last boyfriend?"
I pulled back and settled my hands in my lap. "I dated Tate all through college. Then we went to graduate schools across the country from each other, and we decided not to do long distance."
"Was that an easy decision?" Dalton asked.
"You know, it was surprisingly easy. We enjoyed our relationship but didn't have the will to continue it with that kind of distance between us. Neither of us wanted to sacrifice our time flying back and forth across the country to see each other. School was more important."
"You didn't love him then," Dalton said matter-of-factly.
"We said we loved each other. Looking back, I can see it was a good relationship, but one that didn't have a future. Neither one of us felt the need to fight for it. Then again, we were young and had other priorities. I wasn't looking to settle down, and neither was he."
"You didn't date anyone in grad school?"
It felt good to talk about myself like this with a man. I hadn't been on a date in so long, I'd expected to feel nervous, but now I felt more at ease. I suspected it had something to do with Dalton. "I wanted to focus on school, and I wasn't interested in anyone in my classes. Then I started my doctorate program, and I've been wondering if I should continue with it."
"Do you need an extra certification to be an art therapist?"
"I'd need to take more art courses at the master's level.”
"Is that something you're thinking of doing?"
"I don't like the idea of going backward. I already have a master's degree in child psychology."
"Do you need all of that to teach art to kids without the therapy component?"
"I don’t think so." But my parents would not be happy.
Our food came, and we dropped the subject of my schooling, which I appreciated. The thought of making a decision about my career stressed me out. I should know what I wanted to do by now. "The food here is great."
"Yeah, it's one of my go-to restaurants when I want to take a woman out. Not that I've done that in years, but it's a nice place."
"Is this where you took Oakley?" I couldn't help but ask.
"She preferred going out drinking. I should have known; we met at a bar."
"A lot of people meet at a bar. It doesn't mean they don't have other interests."
"Well, in her case, she prefers going out. I'd rather take a date minigolfing and biking before getting ice cream."
My throat tightened at his description.
"The girls asked you to go out with them, you know," Dalton said.
