“Really.” Ean added a firm nod for emphasis.
“That’s interesting.” Darius’s eyes said he didn’t believe Ean. “I’d thought lawyers were more suspicious.”
“You were wrong.”
“Frankly, dude, I’d have been suspicious of you, too.”
Ean frowned. What was Darius’s point? “Why would I even consider an offer from my former bosses? It was my decision to leave the firm and move back to Trinity Falls. No one forced me.”
“Then why didn’t you tell Megan you were meeting with them?”
“You know why.” Ean sighed. “I didn’t want to get her hopes up in case the partnership to buy the center didn’t work.”
“But in her mind, you were keeping secrets.” Darius gestured with the chip again. “How can there truly be trust in a relationship if the people involved in it are keeping secrets?”
Ean refused to acknowledge that Darius was making sense. “And in my mind, she should have asked a question, instead of coming at me like some overzealous government prosecutor.”
Darius laughed. “Maybe she came at you kind of strong, but you’re expecting too much of her, man.”
“It’s too much to expect trust from the woman with whom I’m in a relationship?” Ean’s eyes stretched wide. “The reason she refused to move in with me is that she’s afraid I’m not going to stay.”
Darius settled back into the corner of the sofa a
nd balanced his left ankle on his right knee. “Have you ever put yourself in Megan’s shoes?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Megan is a classic ‘fear of abandonment’ case, and she has good reason. Every significant person in her life has left her. Her parents died when she was young. Her grandmother died when she was in high school. Her grandfather died before she graduated from college. And her cousin’s always threatening to leave Trinity Falls.”
“I never thought of that.” Ean remembered Megan’s words “Everyone leaves, Ean.” He wanted to smack himself.
“It’s no wonder she’s waiting for you to leave, dude, especially since you’ve left before.”
Ean searched his friend’s face. “How did you know all this? Did she tell you?”
Darius shook his head. “She didn’t have to. I’m a journalist. I’ve got mad observation skills.”
Ean chuckled without humor. “In other words, I’m a self-centered asshole.”
Darius threw back his head and laughed. It was the first genuine amusement he’d heard from his friend all day. “Don’t put words in my mouth, man. You’ve only been back two and a half months. That’s not enough time, even for someone with my observation skills. It’s also not enough time for Megan to fully believe you aren’t going to leave her.”
Ean drained his can of root beer as he mulled over Darius’s words. His friend’s theory made sense. Why hadn’t he realized it on his own? He’d been blind, self-centered and—yes—stupid. Ean clenched his teeth. Maybe he hadn’t been back long enough to recognize the reasons behind Megan’s hesitation, but he’d known Megan practically their entire lives. He should have realized her personal experiences would make her cautious about his commitment.
“What should I do?” Ean looked up as Darius handed him another can of soda. He hadn’t noticed his friend had left the room for drinks.
“Ah, you’ve recognized my wisdom.” Darius sank back onto the sofa and popped open his soda. “Be patient. Stop pressuring her to trust you. Let her set the pace, and the trust will come.”
Ean nodded, but his heart was still heavy. “What if it’s too late? What if I’ve pressured her so much that I’ve already pushed her away?”
“Then you’ll need to consult someone with much more wisdom than me.”
“Who?”
Darius gulped his soda. “I’d start with your mother.”
Megan let herself into Ean’s townhome Tuesday evening with the key he’d given her two weeks earlier. She pressed a hand to her abdomen. The butterflies in her stomach must be hosting a rave. She dried her sweating palms against the thighs of her black jeans, then bent to haul her two stuffed suitcases—one at a time—across his threshold. She took her time shoving them into a corner beside the staircase. After locking the front door, she was out of delaying tactics. Megan took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. It was time to plead her case.
She mounted the stairs, letting the sound of the shower lead her to the master bedroom. The water stopped as she crossed the threshold.