Page 91 of Inevitable

“Of what?” she asked.

I tugged on my hair. How did I explain this without going into all the details? “Hurting someone.”

“Hurting her? Or getting hurt yourself?”

Both.

“A friend,” I said, resting my arms on my thighs. “It’s complicated.”

“I feel you. Preston and I were complicated. Or at least, I thought we were.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s younger than me. He was my daughter’s nanny.”

“Really?” I chuckled, somewhat surprised that straitlaced Alexis had such an unconventional love story.

“Oh yeah. You can ask Preston. I made all kinds of excuses for why we couldn’t be together. My daughter. Other parents. My friends. The age difference. You name it. But in the end, none of it mattered. And once I finally realized I was the only person who cared, I knew there was no one else I wanted to be with.”

I nodded, understanding completely. “Yeah. I’ve put up a lot of roadblocks. But there’s one I’m not sure we can get past.”

I didn’t want Sumner to give up grad school or her dreams. But I was convinced there had to be another way. Which left only Ian standing in our path.

“The friend?” she asked, to which I nodded. “If they’re truly your friend, they’ll want you to be happy.”

“I wish I could believe that, but it’s not quite so simple.”

“Have you tried talking to him?Her?”

“Him.” I shook my head. “And I…can’t.”

“Because you’re scared he’ll disapprove?”

“That’s pretty much guaranteed. But, no, it’s more than that.” I sighed. “Imagine it was Lauren we were talking about. Would you risk your friendship with her to be with Preston?”

She screwed up her face. “She hasn’t always approved of the men I’ve dated, but I can’t imagine her cutting me out of her life because of it. If that’s what you’re afraid of, maybe he’s not the friend you deserve.”

“I slept with his daughter,” I blurted.

I’d been carrying around this huge secret for months, and I felt lighter the moment the words were released. It was so nice to finally unload this burden on someone else, even if Alexis’s immediate reaction had been to cringe.

“She’s legal, right?” she asked, quickly recovering herself.

“Yes. Of course she’s legal. God, Alexis.” I shook my head.

“Okay.” She held up her hands. “Okay. Sorry.”

“I mean, yes, she’s young. But I often think she’s more mature than I am.”

“Oh, I get that.” She laughed. “Preston was definitely more emotionally mature when it came to our relationship.” We were both quiet for a minute until she said, “Do you love her?”

“Yes.” My answer was freely given, and it was one of the few things I knew with certainty at the moment. I might not know what I wanted out of life, but I knew that I loved Sumner and wanted her to be part of it.

She nodded. “I wish I had the answers. Really, I do.”

“You and me both,” I muttered.

“I’m always happy to listen. But if you ever need to talk to a professional, try giving Preston a call.” She handed me his business card.