Page 131 of Faking It With the Small-Town Bad Boy

Ryan left. Being single and alone in this house when you leave, is

just unfathomable.”

I nod slowly. “Yeah, I guess that’s a bit of an adjustment, but you’re

the strongest woman I know, darling. You have nothing to worry

about, and I think you know that too.”

“I know I’m tough and can take care of myself, but that doesn’t mean

I don’t like having you around, Percy. I like your company and when

we stay up late and just talk. It’s been so refreshing and calming for

me. If you leave, I’ll have to face all those emotions I’ve been tabling

for later.”

I can’t help but feel a bit shocked by that admission. “What emotions

are you talking about, exactly?”

“Abandonment,” she replies, the word nearly out of her mouth before

I’m even done asking the question.

In my heart, I want to tell her I’ll never leave, and we can live in this

fairytale forever, but that’s just not the case. And she knows that. It’s

the sole reason she’s so upset right now because she knows this too

shall end. While I’m worried about how that will affect her while

she’s alone, I know she’s strong enough to deal with it.

But she’s right. She shouldn’t have to deal with it alone.

She shouldn’t even feel abandoned at all in her life, but it’s hard to

see the pattern. Her mother passed, her father passed, her sister left,

and Ryan—the only other significant staple in her life—up and moved

on with another woman.

While we should be cursing the world that he’s getting married a few

weeks sooner than we originally thought, it doesn’t give me hope to

know that I’ll have less time before the wedding to be with Leah.

Maybe I can help her get past this phase of worry in her life.

Maybe I can set her up to be fine alone, but the more I consider it,

the more guilty I feel.

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