don’t know. I’m trying to work things through in my head.”
I expected her to push. Prod for more information. It’s what my mother would have done if she were in Maria’s place. Instead, she simply kissed the back of Evan’s hand and stood. “They didn’t have any tea at the cafeteria earlier. They said they’d brew some for me, and it’s bound to be ready now. Would you like to come with me?”
I briefly wondered what happened to the suspicious woman I’d met in Florida, but since her son lay in a hospital bed in a coma, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. “Sure, that’d be nice.”
We walked in silence down to the cafeteria. Maria finally spoke when we sat at a table with our tea, “You really care about him, don’t you?”
“Care” doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel for him.
“Very much. He’s a wonderful man and I’m lucky to have met him.”
“But something’s keeping you from moving forward?”
I looked up, shocked at how she’d seen right through me, “How….”
She shrugged. “When I talked to you in the kitchen at our house, I noticed something changed in your whole demeanor. You were still affectionate toward Evan, but it was like you were…holding back. Not giving your all like you had been the rest of the time you were there.”
I turned my gaze to my cup of tea. “I guess you could say I was trying to, I don’t know, protect myself from falling too hard.”
“Why?”
I nearly tipped my cup over. “What?”
She leveled her gaze at me. “Why? Why would you stop yourself from falling for a great man when things started moving forward?”
I didn’t speak for a moment, wondering how much to tell her. “I was engaged before,” I confessed, moving my cup of tea aside. “Kaleb and I had been together for six years when he proposed. The wedding was going to be beautiful. Perfect dress. Gorgeous church. Everything planned to the smallest detail. Except for one thing. I didn’t plan on walking in on my fiancé and my caterer in our bed on our wedding day. So cliché, I know.”
I pushed the cup around some more, needing something to do with my hands. “I didn’t scream or cry. I didn’t throw things, the way my mind was jumping up and down and demanding I do. All I said was ‘I hope you remembered to pull the blanket back—certain stains are hard to get out of white fabric.’ After they scrambled to cover themselves up, I walked away. He begged me not to cancel the wedding…said it was just cold feet and he loved me.”
“Did you punch him in his lying, cheating bastard throat?”
I nearly balked at Maria’s language, but remembered she was Evan’s mother. The same man whose dirty mouth could make my jaw drop to the floor or my panties burst into flame. I shook my head sadly. “No. I just called the minister and asked him to tell the three hundred people waiting at the church the wedding was off.”
She frowned. “I’m very sorry you went through that. But what does that prick have to do with you getting serious with my son?”
“I…don’t know if I can get serious with another man. If I can open myself up to the heartache again. It took me a while to get over it the first time. Longer than I care to admit,” I said honestly, pushing my hair back and out of my face. “It wasn’t pretty. My best friend basically had to move in with me to make sure I did simple things like eat and shower.”
“Charlie, I like you. I know it seems like I don’t, but I do. And it’s because I like you I can say this: if you don’t latch onto Evan with both hands and feet, you are a cobarde .”
My jaw dropped. “Excuse me?” Had she really just called me a coward?
“You heard me. Because Kaleb couldn’t keep his dick in his pants doesn’t mean all men are like that. I’m not saying Evan can’t be a jerk sometimes—he’s male, he’s genetically inclined to be occasionally—but I know he cares for you and he would do everything in his power
I expected her to push. Prod for more information. It’s what my mother would have done if she were in Maria’s place. Instead, she simply kissed the back of Evan’s hand and stood. “They didn’t have any tea at the cafeteria earlier. They said they’d brew some for me, and it’s bound to be ready now. Would you like to come with me?”
I briefly wondered what happened to the suspicious woman I’d met in Florida, but since her son lay in a hospital bed in a coma, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. “Sure, that’d be nice.”
We walked in silence down to the cafeteria. Maria finally spoke when we sat at a table with our tea, “You really care about him, don’t you?”
“Care” doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel for him.
“Very much. He’s a wonderful man and I’m lucky to have met him.”
“But something’s keeping you from moving forward?”
I looked up, shocked at how she’d seen right through me, “How….”
She shrugged. “When I talked to you in the kitchen at our house, I noticed something changed in your whole demeanor. You were still affectionate toward Evan, but it was like you were…holding back. Not giving your all like you had been the rest of the time you were there.”
I turned my gaze to my cup of tea. “I guess you could say I was trying to, I don’t know, protect myself from falling too hard.”
“Why?”
I nearly tipped my cup over. “What?”
She leveled her gaze at me. “Why? Why would you stop yourself from falling for a great man when things started moving forward?”
I didn’t speak for a moment, wondering how much to tell her. “I was engaged before,” I confessed, moving my cup of tea aside. “Kaleb and I had been together for six years when he proposed. The wedding was going to be beautiful. Perfect dress. Gorgeous church. Everything planned to the smallest detail. Except for one thing. I didn’t plan on walking in on my fiancé and my caterer in our bed on our wedding day. So cliché, I know.”
I pushed the cup around some more, needing something to do with my hands. “I didn’t scream or cry. I didn’t throw things, the way my mind was jumping up and down and demanding I do. All I said was ‘I hope you remembered to pull the blanket back—certain stains are hard to get out of white fabric.’ After they scrambled to cover themselves up, I walked away. He begged me not to cancel the wedding…said it was just cold feet and he loved me.”
“Did you punch him in his lying, cheating bastard throat?”
I nearly balked at Maria’s language, but remembered she was Evan’s mother. The same man whose dirty mouth could make my jaw drop to the floor or my panties burst into flame. I shook my head sadly. “No. I just called the minister and asked him to tell the three hundred people waiting at the church the wedding was off.”
She frowned. “I’m very sorry you went through that. But what does that prick have to do with you getting serious with my son?”
“I…don’t know if I can get serious with another man. If I can open myself up to the heartache again. It took me a while to get over it the first time. Longer than I care to admit,” I said honestly, pushing my hair back and out of my face. “It wasn’t pretty. My best friend basically had to move in with me to make sure I did simple things like eat and shower.”
“Charlie, I like you. I know it seems like I don’t, but I do. And it’s because I like you I can say this: if you don’t latch onto Evan with both hands and feet, you are a cobarde .”
My jaw dropped. “Excuse me?” Had she really just called me a coward?
“You heard me. Because Kaleb couldn’t keep his dick in his pants doesn’t mean all men are like that. I’m not saying Evan can’t be a jerk sometimes—he’s male, he’s genetically inclined to be occasionally—but I know he cares for you and he would do everything in his power
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