Page 57 of Wait a HO HO HO Second!

“Women read this stuff?” he asked, and she could tell from the way his brow dipped toward his nose that it was a serious question.

“It’s one of the most popular tropes in romance, and it’s now branched out into stalking and obsession,” Joy said, rolling her eyes at the thought.

“Do you read it?” he asked, gripping her upper arms.

“Hell no!” Joy exclaimed haughtily. “I lived it. That’s the absolute last thing I’m going to read. I prefer to look for a healthy relationship, not one built on a power imbalance.” She paused. “Come to think of it, that’s what we have here.”

“No.” The way Kian said it told her he believed it more than she did. “We are equals.”

“You own Van Adler Holdings. I own nothing but a 2022 SUV with 69,000 miles on the odometer.”

“You seem to think that power imbalance is based solely on material goods. I don’t believe that. Couples with vastly different material portfolios find a way to make it work all the time.”

“Fair,” Joy said. “But to be clear, I’m not intimidated by your wealth. It was never about that in school, either.”

“You don’t need to be intimidated by my wealth because it’s the least important thing to me,” Kian said, raising her left pant leg before she could stop him.

Joy slapped a hand over it and shook her head. “I don’t like what you’re doing, and I want you to stop.”

Kian lifted his hands and held them in the air. “I’m not going to hurt you, Joy. Are we sitting next to each other in that car, facing forward?” When she nodded, he finally smiled. “Then stop thinking these make you vulnerable. They don’t.”

“They make me strong, blah blah. I’ve heard it all before, Kian. Then reality sets in about what it means to have a girlfriend with a disability. The man slowly starts canceling dates, stops responding, and disappears. It’s happened five times already. Is it selfish of me to want to hold onto you just a little longer before you become the sixth?”

“The only thing that’s selfish is assuming I’ll be the sixth, but I can forgive that because you’ve lived the pattern and I haven’t. When we fight our vulnerability, we end up making our expectations a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sometimes, when we’re vulnerable with the right person, everything changes. We can be ourselves without fear of judgment or ridicule. I know that’s rich coming from me, but I’ve learned the hard way how true it is.”

Did Joy hate that everything he said made sense? Did she want to push back, tell him he was wrong, and tell him to leave her alone? Yes, but she couldn’t find an argument against his truth. Assuming he would be the sixth man to walk out of her life was making an ass of herself, but could he blame her?

Stop looking in the rearview mirror. You haven’t given him a chance to prove he’s changed. This is that chance, but only if you’re facing forward.

She blinked. The voice. Joy knew that voice. It was the one she’d trusted for twelve years. Tears instantly filled her eyes, and she nodded, wiping them away as they spilled over her lashes and down her cheeks.

“Hey, don’t cry,” Kian whispered, pulling her close so she could rest her cheek on his shoulder. “That wasn’t my intention.”

“I know,” she whispered. “The tears are because I finally recognized the voice in my head that’s been cheering me on for the past six months. She’s still with me in everything I do.”

“Moms are like that,” he whispered, rubbing her back. “They’ll guide you from wherever they are, in whatever way they can. What is she saying to you?”

“To give you a chance.” Joy’s laughter was soft as he gently squeezed her neck. “I’d say it’s because she wants me to give her son a mulligan, but I don’t think that’s it.”

“What do you think her reason is?”

“This is my chance to focus on my future rather than cling so tightly to the past. You can’t live in the past, even if it feels safer. The only way to find happiness is to drive down that open road.”

“Sounds like Mom,” Kian agreed, kissing the top of her head. “She was always about comforting you and challenging you in equal measure.”

Joy laughed, sitting up to wipe away her tears. “Amen to that. If she didn’t think it was challenging enough, she was always willing to up the ante. Tonight, the ante is as high as it gets for me. I just want you to know that.”

“Maybe, but if you aren’t comfortable yet, I’m not going to push you. You have to feel secure in your body long before you share it with anyone else.”

“Don’t assume I’m not,” she said, leaning forward and jabbing her finger into his chest. “I love every ounce of myself, from the top of my head to my gnarled witch’s toes. That’s where my confidence comes from. I’m my authentic self all the time, rather than hiding behind a fake persona that leaves me exhausted by the end of the day. It’s easy to say, if you don’t like my legs, to hell with you, but rejection still hurts when it’s about something you can’t control.”

“That,” Kian said, pointing at her. “You can’t control anyone’s reaction to your legs, but you can believe that when the right man comes along, rejection will turn into acceptance.”

“Are you the right man?”

Joy waited, but he didn’t answer her in words. Instead, he turned to her legs and tugged her pant leg up. “Don’t think I didn’t notice I was darn close when it came to your PJs,” he said, winking. “Blue with white snowflakes. That does make more sense.” He reached for the hook-and-loop strap at the top of her brace. Holding her breath, she bit her lip to keep it from trembling as he pulled the strap off, freeing her leg. He set it on the floor beside her.

“Have you checked that blister lately?” he asked, as though this were an ordinary conversation they’d had many times. Before she could answer, he gently pulled the men’s tube sock off and propped her leg on a pillow, cupping her heel as if it were the most delicate bubble, ready to pop if he were too rough. “It’s all red,” he said, glancing up at her.