The comment bemused him. “Scares you? Why?”
“Because now I understand why Louise was so afraid for you. Wade, I could break your heart.”
“But you won’t,” he said simply. “I don’t know how I know that, but I do.”
“I wish I were half as sure.” She stood. “Now I’m the one running off, but I need time, Wade. I need to think. I don’t think I could bear it if you were hurt again, especially if I were the one responsible. This time you deserve your happy ending, and I’m not sure I can give that to you.”
What she obviously didn’t understand, he thought as she went, was that leaving, even now, made his heart ache as it never had before. As much as he’d loved Kayla, it had been with a naive, young man’s passion. What he felt for Gabi went so much deeper. He believed they could build the kind of rock-solid foundation he wanted for the future, but not if his past and her doubts kept getting in the way.
* * *
As she had so many times as a teenager, Gabi called her big sister the minute she got back to Cora Jane’s. Samantha had always been her go-to person for dating dilemmas. Now she had a doozy.
As she filled Samantha in, one thing seemed increasingly clear. She couldn’t continue to see Wade. This was absolutely the wrong time to be involved with anyone, but especially someone with his particular baggage.
“Hold on a second,” Samantha commanded when Gabi expressed that. “Do you think Wade is blind to the risk he’s taking?”
“Not blind exactly. I just think he’s minimizing the pain I could cause him if this doesn’t work out between us.”
“Sweetie, it could be he just thinks you’re worth the risk,” her sister said.
“I’m not,” Gabi replied. “I mean, I know I’m a good person and worth loving.”
“Do you really believe that?” Samantha asked. “Or have you been influenced by the way Paul treated you, as if you were nothing more than a convenience he could toss away?”
“Paul was an idiot!” Gabi said emphatically.
Samantha laughed. “Well, I know that. So does everyone else, but we weren’t sure you did.”
“Well, I do know it,” Gabi said. “I might have had a pang or two when we first broke up, but I got over that the minute he agreed to give up his parental rights without a single hesitation or regret.”
“Definitely a strong indicator of the kind of man he is,” Samantha agreed. “So, what’s really holding you back with Wade? Don’t you have feelings for him? I mean if you’re truly not attracted even a tiny bit, then pushing him away is definitely the right thing to do. Obviously he’s a man who loves deeply. He deserves the same thing from the woman in his life.”
Gabi thought of the few times when Wade had touched her, even kissed her. Sparks had flown, no question about it. More than that, though, she genuinely liked the man who was becoming her friend. He was solid and so, so different from the sort of workaholics who’d been in her life up to now. He had his priorities straight in ways she wanted to emulate. He actually had some idea of how to create a family, no matter the circumstances under which it had begun. She longed for the certainty that he had that anything between them was possible.
“He’s been a good friend,” she began. “That’s how Kayla thought of him, too. I feel as if it’s a pattern that’s been established, as if I’m taking advantage of him the way she did.”
“I don’t think anyone takes advantage of Wade,” Samantha said. “He chose Kayla, even knowing the situation. He’s chosen you now.”
“Maybe he’s just one of those guys who can’t resist rushing to the rescue,” Gabi suggested.
“You didn’t need rescuing when he met you,” Samantha reminded her, echoing Wade’s own words. “In fact, you claimed to have this hot relationship.”
“So? I was unattainable, just like Kayla. Maybe it’s not the rescuing he likes, but the challenge.”
“Gabriella, listen to yourself. You’re grabbing at any excuse that occurs to you. Stop it. Take a step back and think about the man you’ve been getting to know. Let’s boil it down to the basics. Do you like him?”
“Yes,” she replied unequivocally.
“Then, there you go,” her sister said. “Start there. Nobody, not even Wade or Cora Jane, is suggesting you rush into anything.”
“Well, I’m not so sure about Cora Jane,” Gabi said wryly.
“Okay, I’ll give you that one, but you see my point. You and Wade are at the beginning of something that could be very, very good. I’d give anything to have that with someone,” Samantha said, an unmistakably wistful note in her voice.
“But you go out all the time,” Gabi protested. “You’ve always dated more than Emily and me combined.”
“Sure, I’ve dated,” Samantha echoed. “That’s very different. I’ve had one serious relationship in all these years, and it lasted a grand total of eight months, until I got a big part on Broadway and his career flatlined. Come to think of it, right now I actually understand how he felt.”
Gabi heard the note of despair in her sister’s voice and decided they’d spent enough time on her latest crisis. She owed Samantha some equal time.
“Have you given more thought to what you want to do? Are you going to take Emily up on her offer and go out to Los Angeles?” Gabi asked her.
“I really don’t think I want to live in the land of sunshine, palm trees and plastic personalities.”
“Wow! That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Samantha admitted. “I think I’m probably scared and, just like you, using any excuse to avoid making such a dramatic change.”
“Or maybe you don’t want this whole acting thing enough anymore. You’ve been willing to do whatever it took for a lot of years. Nobody could blame you if you were ready to call it quits. Or, if you do want to stay
