Page 112 of Tempted Hearts
“I guess I’ll go with option B. Any tips on how to avoid falling in love with him?”
Delaney laughed. “Do you forget who you’re talking to? Parker and I got together? If I had tips, I’d be sending them your way already.”
True.
I finished the call with Delaney, and we made concrete plans for Friday night.
Sometimes, you had to go to the person who knew more than you did. I clicked a few keys on my keyboard, and within five minutes had sent a message to my therapist. She’d said I could always reach out, and this seemed to warrant a connection.
Checking my inbox instead of my phone turned out to be a good distraction. She got back to me in less than twenty minutes. Asked if I wanted an appointment in an hour.
Yes, I did. But in the meantime, I hadn’t texted Cole, and it felt like I was giving him the cold shoulder, or playing games a bit. I just needed to know how to go forward in this situation before it was too late.
When it came time for my appointment, I pulled Carolina up on video.
“Okay,” she said. Seeing her on screen, knowing she was there at literally the drop of a hat when I wouldn’t have expected an appointment today, was more comforting than I realized. “Let me ask you this. Is Cole actually doing something wrong, or is he just not doing what your anxiety wants him to do fast enough?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it. “That feels unfair.”
She smiled gently. “Most honest questions do.”
“He pulled back,” I said. “That matters.”
“It does,” she agreed. “But pulling back isn’t the same as walking away. Sometimes it’s fear. Sometimes it’s self-protection. Sometimes it’s a man realizing he’s more in it than he planned to be.”
I crossed my arms. “So I’m just supposed to sit here and wait?”
“No,” she said quickly. “You’re supposed to stay open without abandoning yourself. There’s a difference. Waiting silently while spiraling isn’t healthy. But neither is burning something down just because it scares you.”
I exhaled slowly. “I don’t want to be the woman who chases.”
“And you’re not,” she said. “You’re the woman who chooses. The question is whether you’re choosing from fear… or from truth.”
“And what if the truth is that I care more than he does?”
She held my gaze through the screen. “Then the next step isn’t to run. It’s to find out. Because clarity beats imagination every time.”
I swallowed. “So… I don’t quit yet.”
“No,” she said softly. “You stay curious. You stay honest. And you let him show you who he is now… not who you’re afraid he might be.”
We finished the call, and I thanked her profusely for jumping on so quickly. My phone stayed silent, and I watched it, knowing it was time to pick it up and text him.
So what did I say?
Letting Carolina’s words wash over me, soaking in the lessons she’d offered, I finally reached for it and punched out a text.
I wasn’t waiting for Cole anymore. I was waiting to see who he chose to be.
Jules
Thinking of you. No pressure to reply.
43
COLE
I’d been staring at the email for more than twenty minutes.
