“Hey, I didn’t think I’d see much of you today.” Bev smiled big when she saw me walk through the door. We had been staying in the gym more and taking our meals with us instead of eating at the diner.

She was disappointed when I postponed our day of rummaging through my dad’s old stuff, but I wanted to help Brody get as much done with the gym as possible. We only had the small details left, but they were sometimes the most time-consuming. He wanted to hit the promotion hard when we got back.

After we made love that night, he went back to saying we instead of me being on my own. It was terrifying to hear him say he wanted things done so I could come back to a finished gym. I didn’t want to come back alone.

I didn’t know if he understood how much I loved him or if he loved me back. All I could do was continue to show him and tell him every day until he did understand how much he had taken over my heart.

“I take it you’re not eating in tonight, either.” Her smiled faded when Brody didn’t walk in behind me.

“Actually, we are. Brody’s in the shower. He’ll be over in a minute. I told him I wanted to spend some time with you before we left tomorrow.”

“Good. What time does the plane leave?”

“He booked our flight for six. The appointment isn’t until eleven, but he wanted to make sure we didn’t have any delays.”

“He’s nervous.” She smiled and hugged me. “What about you? How are you holding up?” She walked me over to a booth in the back and sat with me.

“I’m nervous, too.” I covered my face with my hands and rubbed my eyes. “I feel he loves me. I feel he’ll come back with me, but I’m not sure I can compete with a kid and Laney.”

“Do you think he still has feelings for her?”

“He says no, but would you be able to tell the truth to the person who says they love you?”

“You’ve told him?”

I took a napkin and played with it. “Yeah. Do you think that was a mistake?”

“I think it’s risky any way you go with something like that. He may run scared, but he may have needed to hear it. What does he say?”

“I don’t think he believes it.” I ripped the napkin into tiny pieces. “I don’t think he thinks I’m lying or anything, but I’m not sure he’s let anyone fall in love with him before.”

“Yeah, being an asshole will keep the girls away.”

I smiled. “I know quite a few who love assholes.”

“Yes, but those assholes let them get close. I don’t think he’s ever dated the same woman more than twice.”

“I think you may be right about that. His brother was very cruel and said a lot of hurtful things. I’m sure he thinks he’s justified for whatever reason, but I got the feeling Brody was never in a long-term relationship. Honestly, that kind of scares me more than anything.”

“By this time in your life, you’d hope the man you fall in love with will have all those immature teenage boy things out of his system. You hope the women he’s met along his journey to you had shaped and molded him into a decent man and that he would’ve learned a lot about communication and how to love a woman.

“But, baby, no man will ever learn all of that no matter how old he is or how many girlfriends had tried to shape him into that man. The fact he has ex-girlfriends means he’s far from it. The one who will shape him and who he will grow with is the woman he wants to be with. The same is true for us women. We’re not going to change our ways or compromise anything until we find our dream guy.”

She placed her hand on mine. “What I’m trying to say is, don’t let it worry you. Love him. The rest will fall into place.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Anytime, baby. Now, what can I get you guys to eat?”

Brody walked in and looked around. We weren’t in our normal booth, so it took him a moment to find me. He looked relieved when he smiled and headed my way. Mom got up and walked to the kitchen, but he slid in next to me instead of across from me.

“Hi.” I scooted closer when he placed his arm around my shoulders.

“Hi.” He bent down and kissed me. “So, did you order?”

“I was going to, but Mom took off. She said she knew just the thing.”

“Okay. I’m sure she’ll bring us something amazing. Have you figured out what you want to do with the other side of the gym when you get it cleared out? I just have a few more things to do in the upstairs bathroom, and then we can get started on that space once you and your mom go through it.”

“Uh, no. I really have no idea. It’s nothing we need to rush into.”

“I’m just thinking about the renovations after your place opens. It may be better to do it while it’s empty.”

“We probably won’t have to worry much about it. I told you people don’t want to go to a gym run by a girl.”

“But you’re not running it by yourself. I think I have enough sweat equity in that place to be considered a silent partner. You received a lot of calls after the flyer round we did. We’ll have a grand opening party and get you a skimpy little outfit to show off your toned body. People will not be able to sign up fast enough.”

“Only if you wear the tiny shorts, too.” I smiled.

“Okay.” He kissed me. “I’ll do anything for you.”

Bev came out with burgers piled high with toppings, cheesy bacon fries, and a large pickle on each plate. My stomach grumbled looking at it. “I thought this would hit the spot tonight. It’s filling, but it won’t cause too much distress on your anxious tummies like the chili.”

“Thank you, Beverly. You always know what we need.”

It was a strained relationship between the two of them, but I knew she cared for him more than she let on. Brody was a good man. He was troubled, but so were Mom and I. She understood everyone would have things they needed to work through, but as long as I was safe and in no danger of being hurt, I knew she would come around and love him, too.

* * *

“Are you sure you don’t want any breakfast?” We got in a lot earlier than Brody expected, so I wanted to make sure he was fed.

He wanted nothing to do with food. “No, I’m fine. We can get something for you, though.”

“I could really use some coffee, but I don’t need any food. We’ll get something after the appointment.”

The line for coffee killed about twenty minutes, but we still had over an hour before we needed to be at the doctor’s office.

“I’m sorry I booked the flight too early.”

“Do not be sorry. This is important. They wouldn’t have waited for a delay. Plus,” I slid my arm in his, “I don’t mind walking around with you anyway.”

“What am I going to do if it’s my kid? This was a mistake. I don’t know how to be a dad.”

It was the first time he voiced any feelings on it besides saying he had to know. “You’ll figure it out. I don’t think any parent knows what they’re doing until they just do it.”

“I’m so selfish. I have no right to demand this. Why did they agree?”

“Hey.” I pulled on his arm until he stopped walking and looked at me. “You are not selfish. You have the right to know. They may not want to admit it, but they need to know, too. You know it’s been weighing on Bryce and possibly Laney, too. They wouldn’t have agreed if they didn’t want to know. Trust me.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He took my face in his hands. “What would I do without you?”

“Lucky for you, you’ll never have to find out.”

“Promise me.” He placed his forehead to mine and held me to him. “Promise me no matter what happens in there that I won’t have to be without you.”

“I promise.” I wrapped my arms around him. “I promise I will love you no matter what the results are. We’ll make it work.”

He kissed me as if he were trying to tell me he loved me, too. I felt every ounce of love from him on the sidewalk in front of the doctor’s office. No matter what happened in an hour, that kiss was what I would remember from that day. That kiss was what I would hold on to in the darker times, whatever they may be.

He hugged me tight before he let me go as if he was trying to seal that kiss around me and protect me from the results. “Let’s head up and get this over with.”

He took my hand and led me upstairs. There were a couple of people being helped at the check-in desk, but it didn’t look as if Laney or Bryce were there yet. We were still forty-five minutes early. When it was his turn, Brody walked up to the receptionist and told her his appointment time. She confirmed we were the first to show and told us to have a seat.

He took the first seat he saw and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. I sat down and rubbed his back. I wished I had the right words to say. I wished I could’ve made it all better for him, but I wasn’t sure if my words would mean anything. They weren’t particularly comforting to me, but I felt I needed to say them anyway.

“I know you don’t have a clue as to how this is going to work out. You don’t know what you’re going to do and have probably run through every possible outcome in your head with different reactions. That’s normal.

“All I can say is you’ll know when you know. When you hear the words, when you see those results for the first time, that’s when you’ll know what you feel. Take a moment to register that. Take whatever time you need to work through your own reaction. Don’t look at Laney or Bryce. Don’t check to see how I’m feeling. I need you to check how you’re feeling first. You’ll know what you need to do at that moment and not a moment before.”

I turned his head toward me. “And, whatever the reaction, whatever emotion you’re feeling, it will be the right one for you. I’ll follow your lead on this one and support whatever decision you make.”

He nodded.

“Are you going to be okay while I head to the restroom? I want to get it out of the way before everyone shows up.”

“I’ll be fine.” He looked around. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, sit here and wait for them. It’s just down the hall. I’ll probably beat them back.”

“I can move to the back of the room.”

“No, this is fine.” I squeezed his knee. “I’ll be right back.”