Chapter 17 #2
"I know. And I'll spend as long as it takes showing you.
" His hand didn't waver. "But Andi? You need to know something else.
When Rebecca left me for David, I felt relieved.
Guilty about feeling relieved, but relieved.
Because our marriage had been empty from before we even had Charisse.
We were just going through the motions. When we talked outside your shop last week, when you told me to prove it and walked away?
" His voice dropped. "That didn't feel like relief.
That felt like my chest was being ripped open.
Like I'd lost something I didn't know how to get back. "
I wiped at my eyes with my napkin. "This is a lot."
"I know. Too much, probably. But you deserved to hear it. All of it." He slowly withdrew his hand, giving me space. "There's something else. Something I want to ask you. But only if you're ready to hear it."
I took a shaky breath. What else could he possibly ask now? "What?"
"I have this lunch with Rebecca today. At one o'clock. At The Parker." He paused. "I want you to come with me."
The request hung between us, heavy with implication.
I looked at him and slowly said, "You want me to have lunch with your ex-wife?"
"I want to introduce you to her. Properly.
As my girlfriend. The woman I'm in love with.
The woman I should have been proud to claim months ago.
" He held my gaze. "I know I told her about us in a text. But that was just words on a screen. I want to show her—show everyone—that you're not my secret. That you’ll be around. That you’ll be part of my life—of Charisse’s life.
That you are absolutely not just a friend. You're mine. If you'll still have me."
My heart hammered against my ribs. "Gavin—"
"I know it's asking a lot. To sit through lunch with the woman I was married to. The woman who's a small part of why I kept you separate in the first place. But it’s a tiny step toward me proving myself to you. I want you to see that I’m choosing you."
I stared at my plate, my mind racing. He was offering exactly what I'd asked for. Public acknowledgment. An end to the compartmentalization. Proof. But was it enough? Or was it just another performance? Him doing what he needed to do because I'd forced his hand?
"I need to think," I said quietly.
His face fell slightly, but he nodded. "Okay."
"This is—it's a lot. You're telling me things you should have told me months ago. You're saying that you love me. You're asking me to meet your ex-wife at a restaurant. I can't just—" I stopped. "I can't make this decision right now."
"I understand." He pulled out his wallet, dropped cash on the table for both our breakfasts. "Can I call you? After?"
"Maybe. I don't know yet. I mean, yes. I think so."
We both stood. For a moment, we just looked at each other across the booth. All the things we'd said and all the things we hadn't hanging between us.
"Andi?" His voice was soft.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For coming and for listening. For—" He swallowed hard. "For being you. Even when I didn't deserve it."
I nodded, not trusting my voice. Grabbed my purse and coat.
"I meant what I said," he added, entwining his fingers with mine as I turned to go. "All of it. Especially the part about loving you."
I paused at the edge of the booth, my fingers still held in his, and my back to him so he couldn't see the tears spilling over. "That's not fair," I whispered.
"I know. But it's true. And you deserved to hear it. Even if you don't believe me yet."
I let go of his hand and walked out without looking back. If I'd looked back, I might have stayed. Might have said yes to lunch. Might have forgiven him before I was ready.
The warm air hit my face as I stepped outside, the bright sun heating my skin. I walked without direction, my mind replaying everything he'd said.
*Eight years. Rebecca cheated for over a year. Married David so soon after the divorce was final. Damn. *What kind of monster does that to someone?
No wonder he'd been scared. No wonder he'd kept me at arm's length. But that didn't excuse it. Didn't erase all that time where I’d been hidden. Didn't fix the "friend" moment or Jake thinking I was available as he talked to my boyfriend, who hadn’t even acknowledged me.
*I'm in love with you. *Words I'd wanted to hear. Needed to hear, maybe. And he'd said them. Here. Now. When I was walking away.
My phone buzzed.
Bridget: How'd it go?
I stared at the message. How did it go? He'd laid his heart open. Told me about Rebecca's affair. Said he loved me. Asked me to lunch with his ex-wife. And I'd walked away. Not really an easy way to put all that in text message.
Andi: He asked me to come to lunch with Rebecca.
Bridget: Oh shit.
Bridget: So? You going?
Andi: I said I needed to think.
Bridget: But?
I stopped walking. Looked around. I'd somehow made it all the way to The Common without realizing it. Families were out enjoying the day, with kids running around and toward the playground. Couples walked hand in hand. Normal people living normal life.
But…That was her question, wasn't it?
My phone buzzed twice with Bridget asking if I was okay, but I didn't answer because I didn't know yet. I kept thinking about everything I’d been through—of what my heart had been through.
After Ryan, I'd promised myself that the next person would have to prove they wanted me.
That I'd be the one they chose. Every time.
But sitting here on this bench, I realized maybe that promise wasn't just about waiting for someone to prove themselves.
Maybe it was also about being brave enough to choose them back.
To show up. To fight for what I wanted instead of just waiting to see if they'd fight for me.
And before I lost my courage, I stood up and checked my phone. 11:22. I had just enough time to get home, change, and make it to The Parker by one.
When I dressed and looked in the mirror, I felt steadier than I had all week. I felt beautiful, but more than that, I felt braced. With or without Gavin, I knew I was worthy of more.
So, I decided—if he was going to walk into that restaurant and choose me in front of Rebecca, then I was going to show up and choose him back. Not because he'd convinced me everything was fixed. Hell. Nothing was fixed. It was just in the light.
But I'd decided I was done sitting on benches waiting for my life to happen. And if Rebecca got to watch the whole thing? Even better.