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I bite my lip, keeping my need to defend him at bay. Will has never come up in a conversation with Josie and me, despite the fact we’ve gotten closer. Despite the fact, I confided in Carter about him. Apparently, the news hadn’t spread. And Mia’s practically a stranger; she’s only known me a few hours, but easily picked up on something I haven’t been ready to admit to myself.

My phone buzzes again. Then once more.

I grab it and chuck it in my purse.

Mia arches a dark brow. “If that’s his response to you hanging out with friends, you need to cut your losses and run. How long have you been together?”

“Two years. My mother’s the head of emergency medicine at Charleston Hospital, and she introduced us during his final year as a resident. We’ve been together since.”

I pick at the corner of my napkin, thinking back on our relationship. It was just another thing my mother orchestrated for me. Sure, Will is attractive, and he’s generally a good guy, but is he the right person for me? I’ve been wondering that for longer than I care to admit. The way he treats me isn’t what I want, and sometimes I realize I deserve better, but it’s going out and getting it that scares me.

The fear of being alone keeps me with the easy choice.

“Do you want to talk about it, Kat?” Josie’s question is gentle, gaze locked on mine. “You’ve got two great listeners right here, and we’ve both been through some shit when it comes to love.”

“I just . . .” I struggle to find the right words. “Have you ever looked at someone one day and just knew it was going to end?”

“God, yes,” Mia says with a snort. “My ex-girlfriend.”

“Same,” Josie admits. “With Bryce.”

“And technically, that one happened twice,” Mia points out.

My jaw drops open at the idea of Josie and Bryce ever being anything other than Josie and Bryce. The world’s most adorable couple had been split up? Multiple times! If it happened to them, what does that mean for the rest of the world? “What?” I gasp. “No way! You two are—”

“Not always perfect,” Josie cuts in. “We’re in a good place now, but it took a lot of work. God, it still takes a lot of work.”

“Have they always been disgustingly adorable?” Mia questions. “Yes, but it wasn’t the healthiest relationship, and they both had a lot of growing up to do.”

After giving Mia a look I can’t read, Josie continues, “The point is, the two of us knew we wanted to make it work, so we decided to fight for it. And we know it’ll always take work, so we continue to fight for it. That’s what you do when you want it to last.”

“It’s actually quite simple. If you’re wondering if you’d be better off without him, I think you already have your answer.”

I blink at Mia, who just made it sound so simple, but it’s never that simple.

“He’s not the only guy out there,” she continues, reading my thoughts. “I know what you’re thinking, Kat. He’s not the only man out there who can love you.”

My jaw drops open again. “How?”

Josie shrugs. “Don’t ask me. It’s her superpower, and I’ve learned to stop questioning it.”

Lips pursed, Mia pins me with a serious look. “You’re sitting here with two women who get it. We know media and society can fuck with our self-image and confidence. Women like us don’t get x, y, or z. For the most part, we know it’s bullshit, but every once in a while, that insecurity creeps in, and we believe it. But that doesn’t mean you have to stay with a shitty dude because he made you think he’s the only one who’ll want you.”

“Whoa.” I hold my hands up, trying to stop her. “He never said—”

She cuts off my lie before it can even leave my mouth, eyes narrowed into a glare. “Nope. No way. We are not making excuses for shitty men. I don’t care what he did or did not say. I can see it written all over your face. I’ve known you for a couple hours but can already tell you’re an intelligent, beautiful, badass woman. You don’t need him to validate who you are.”

I blink, an unexplainable surge of confidence welling up inside me. “Holy shit,” I breathe, “you should be a motivational speaker.”

She reaches for her margarita again, waving her hand as she takes a long drink. “Oh, absolutely not. I hate people far too much for that.”

I look at Josie, who’s smiling in amusement. “She’s not exaggerating. I think we’re two of maybe ten people she likes.”

“Ten is generous.” She peers at me again, looking calculating. “So, what are you going to do?”

I know better than to do anything about it right now. It’d be shitty of me to end a two-year relationship while I’m not in the same city as him. I need to use this time to think about it seriously, though. I need to figure out where I see us going. More importantly, I need to decide if I see him in my future, or if I even want to. If I’m using this time to prove myself—prove my worth and take charge of my life—that should be part of it, right?

“I guess I have a lot of thinking to do,” I admit, playing with the straw in my drink. “Figure out what I want to do.”