Imperfectly Real (A Series of Imperfections) by A.E. Woodward Page A

to answer the door. Our time was spent focused on each other, and with every moment that passed it became apparent to me that I was falling fast. Elizabeth Sloan was stirring emotions in me that I didn’t know I had, and I was feeling things I had never felt before.
    But the fact of the matter was that our weekend of playing house was over. I could feel the sadness permeating the room as I packed my bag. I kept looking at her, solemnly perched on the end of the hotel mattress. She looked as broken as she did the first time I saw her in New York just a few months ago.
    I took a break from packing and walked toward her. “It’s not like you’re never going to see me again,” I offered in an attempt to make her smile again. I knelt down in front of her, forcing those gorgeous blue eyes to meet mine. “We’ve got all this wedding shit coming up. I’m sure we can steal a few moments here and there. Maybe you could even come out to New York again?”
    “Then what?” she asked, her eyes burning straight through me.
    I wanted to tell her that I had all the answers. To tell her that I knew what would happen next. But I didn’t. “I don’t know, Liz, I’m following your lead on this one.”
    Her gaze broke from mine as a single tear dropped from her cheek and onto her jeans. “I was afraid of that,” she choked.
    “Hey,” I spoke softly as I put my hand under her chin. “We don’t have to have all the answers now, right? No labels. I’m fine with this,” I lied. “I will be whatever you want me to be, Liz, as long as I get to be with you. Right now, I’ll take whatever I can get. I don’t know what this is, but I know it’s something worth hoping for.” That was the truth.
    “I was afraid you’d say that too,” she sighed. “You deserve better than this. You deserve someone that can give you all the attention and love you need. I want to be that person, Tyler, but …”
    “This …” I paused contemplating just the right words to let her know how I was feeling. “This is better than nothing. What I feel for you right now is more real than anything I’ve felt before. I might not get the best parts of you, and I know you’re just as confused as I am, but I know we can figure this out … together.”
    “But it’s not just about us, Tyler.”
    “It can be.”
    She sighed. “No, it can’t. Our actions affect so many people …”
    “It isn’t their life, Liz.”
    “But it is Emily’s,” she argued. “What I do … it shapes her life.”
    I could see where this was going. She wanted me to say that I had no problem raising her kid. But I couldn’t. In fact, the thought of it scared the shit out of me. I love Felix to death, but not sure if I’m cut out to be a parent myself … ever . Instead of giving her what she was looking for, I pushed upwards to kiss her cheek.
    She forced a smile.
    I knew I should have stuck up for myself and said something … anything. I should’ve put my foot down about the situation. I mean she couldn’t have her cake and eat it, but I was just so happy making her happy that my own happiness didn’t matter at all. I think I was finally starting to understand where Shane had been coming from when working through his feelings for Emma. Rob and I had practically watched him self-destruct. But I was stronger than that. Yeah. Totally stronger. I could handle this.
    I finished packing and she walked me to my car, both of us surrounded by uncomfortable silence. We hadn’t made any plans, but that was okay. I’d meant it when I’d said she was in the driver’s seat. She was the one who decided what happened next. I wouldn’t be the one to pressure her, no matter what I was feeling. I would not be that guy. There would be no ultimatum from me … at least for now.
    “I’ll see you soon,” I promised, throwing my duffel bag into the back seat of my car. I felt my heart break into little pieces as I looked at her standing there, all sorts of sad. She looked so