Page 67 of Reckless (Adventures in Love 3)
“Good. It would be good for him to see her; I know he misses her,” I say quietly.
“I’m worried about you, Jade,” she says, getting close, and I drag in a deep breath.
“I’ll be fine. I just need more than a few days to get over him,” I say, knowing that’s a lie. I don’t know if even a lifetime would be long enough to get over Maverick. I thought I knew what heartbreak was, but now I know I was wrong. The pain I’ve felt the last few days has been overwhelming. And I know that if I didn’t care about letting Cybil down, I wouldn’t even bother getting out of bed.
“I really thought that you two—”
“Stop.” I cut her off before she can finish that sentence. “It is what it is; him and I do not want the same things, and as much as that sucks, I need to accept it. I’m just glad he told me now rather than months down the road, when I’d inevitably be deeper in love with him.”
“I guess you’re right about that.” She looks down at Claire, and I wonder if she’s trying to imagine what she would have done if Tanner had told her that he didn’t want kids. Thankfully she will never have to find out, because Tanner wants whatever makes her happy, and if she told him that she wanted a dozen kids, he’d happily give them to her.
“Do you think I messed up?” I dig my nails into my palms, and she looks at me.
“What do you mean?”
“You would do anything for Tanner, right? Do you think I messed up by wanting it all from Maverick and not giving him what he wants, which is just me?”
“God, no.” She engulfs me in a tight hug. “You did not mess up.” She lets me go just enough to look me in the eye. “You deserve it all, Jade, and I would be disappointed if you ever settled for less than that.” I watch tears fill her eyes. “One day you are going to be a wife and a mom, and when that happens, all of this will be worth it.”
“I miss him,” I admit as my eyes start to burn.
“I know you do, and I wish that I could take the pain you’re feeling right now. I hate that you are hurting.” She pulls me in for another hug. “And you don’t know what the future holds for the two of you; this could just be a bump in the road.”
“I don’t think this is a bump, and if I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that men don’t normally say things they don’t mean, so if Maverick says he doesn’t want kids, he doesn’t want them,” I say, letting her go.
“You saw him with Claire. He adores her.”
“I know, and he also loves his nephews, but that doesn’t change anything.”
“Men are idiots sometimes.”
“I won’t disagree with you about that.” I smile when she laughs and wipe at the tears on my cheeks.
“You know, whatever happens, I’m here for you, and so is Tanner and everyone else, right?”
“I know, and one day when I don’t hurt so much, I hope that I can get back to being friends with Maverick so no one will feel uncomfortable having the two of us around at the same time.”
“No one is going to feel uncomfortable.” She shakes her head, then adds, “Well, Maverick might when I kick his ass for hurting you, but I think even he’d agree that he deserves it.”
“You couldn’t hurt a fly.” I pick up Claire when she starts to babble “Jada,” which she uses only when I’m around, so I’ve assumed she’s calling for me.
“I’ll have you know I’ve taken down a grown man in a bar fight before,” she says, and I laugh at her. “Don’t laugh. I’m serious.”
“I know you are. I was there,” I agree, then look toward the doorway, seeing none other than Donna, Ken the cop’s wife, walk in. As she gets closer, I know instantly that she did not take him back; she looks refreshed, like she’s been at the spa for a month, or like the weight of a worthless two-hundred-pound man is no longer hanging around her shoulders.
“Donna,” I greet, and she looks surprised that I remember her name, when, really, how could I forget it?
“Hi, I . . .” She looks between Cybil and me. “Is now a good time to talk?”
“Sure,” I say, figuring that even if she wants to talk about Ken, that will be better than spending more time talking or thinking about Maverick.
“I know that when I saw you last and you offered me a job, you were probably just doing it to be nice, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to stop in here and see about picking up an application.”
