Bethany got to the coffee shop a good forty minutes before she was supposed to meet Philip, but it gave her time to think through how she was going to let him down. The guy was perfect for her, but she wasn't open to thinking about truly dating anyone yet, nor would she be for a long time.

Worry continued to swirl in the pit of her stomach over Kendal. Something was wrong. She'd tried calling Matt several times to see if he figured out what was going on yet, but he wasn't answering.

"Hey, you." Philip's voice caused her to glance up.

His dark blond hair was cut short like he assumed Damon wanted it at M&B. He looked good no matter the length of his hair though. Being from Australia, he not only had his sexy accent going for him but the beautiful golden color of his skin, his great smile, hot body, and sweet personality. He was the full package, but it didn't matter. Someone else would grab him up by the time she healed enough to even consider anything more than a friendship.

She almost preferred it that way.

"Hi." She stood. "I got here a little early. Kendal had to leave because of an emergency or something, so I took on the class by myself today."

"Oh wow. How was that?" He reached out and touched the small of her back, guiding her through a crowd of people toward the front counter. The touch was intimate and caused chills to run down her spine, warming her and leaving her thoughts racing toward Damon.

How good it would feel to leave her coffee date with Philip and meet him over at his house. They could start a fire and forget everything but each other. Had she really laughed at him the last time they made love?

"It was okay." She gripped the counter in front of her and lowered her head as the room seemed to pull in tightly.

"Something wrong, Bethany?" Philip rubbed the top of her back and leaned over a little, getting in her face.

"No. Just having trouble breathing. Allergies, I guess." She sucked in a deep breath and moved back. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize." He turned toward the barista and ordered for both of them. He glanced back to her. "Go wait at the table and I'll bring the coffee over for us."

"You sure?" she asked softly, not quite having gained the volume back to her voice.

"Absolutely." He smiled warmly and turned back toward the counter to pay.

She walked back to the only open table in the place and sat down. Pulling out her phone, she thumbed through her texts with Matt and then with Damon, unable to help herself. Why was he so angry when she called about Kendal? His words were accusatory. Surely he hadn't convinced himself that she was seeing his best friend.

Both she and Kendal would give the heart from their chest for Damon. He had to know that.

"You look quite lost in thought. Anything you care to discuss?" Philip set her coffee down in front of her before taking his seat.

"Not really." She reached out and wrapped her hands around it. "Did you go into the office today?"

"Yep. I saw Damon too." He leaned back and let his hands drop into his lap. "He seemed disturbed. Upset."

"Yeah. I spoke with him a few minutes earlier, and he was pretty ugly." She shrugged and lifted the mug, blowing on the dark caramel-colored liquid carefully. "I think we're going to have to go our separate ways for a while until things calm down."

There was no way she was comfortable believing her own lie, but maybe if she told herself enough times, she'd be able to finally accept that it was over.

"I told him that you and I went out last night."

"What?" Her voice rose significantly. "You did what? Why?"

"Because I care about you, Bethany. He needs to know that he's being an asshole, and he's going to lose you if he doesn't get up and do something about it."

Tears blurred her vision. "You told him to help him?"

"Yes." Philip picked up his coffee mug. "You talk about him nonstop. It's obvious that your heart still very much belongs to him. Where I hate it, I understand it too."

"I can't do this anymore, though. I quit the firm to get away from him. I'm not going to family dinners and I-"

"You quit the firm because you’re hurting and because that bitch Delilah keeps bothering you." He snorted. "I'm pretty sure Ben and Patrick went to Damon about her, and he went to Kent."

"Wow. Really?" Bethany took a quick sip of her coffee before setting the cup down. "Did anything happen to her?"

"No clue. I think she's probably on her last leg. Everyone is saying that she lied to Damon about Patrick and Ben being sweet on you."

"Sweet on me?" Bethany snorted. "That's ridiculous."

"Yep. She's just a bitch." Philip shrugged and reached across the table to touch the side of her face. "You're so much stronger than you think you are. You're beautiful and smart, and you have everything to offer someone. If you're done with Damon Bryant, then give me a chance, but if you're not done, then stop moping about it and go after him."

"Easier said than done." She glanced around the coffee shop as she let out a long sigh. "I feel like if I go back to him and grovel, then he wins. I'm not sure I can live in a world where he thinks he has the right to control me."

"You think that's what he's trying to do?" Something about the way Philip asked forced her to question the belief she'd convinced herself of.

"I don't know. I hate the fact that everything that's happened to us is something he's done or not done and that I can't help but think he meant to do it."

"Or not do it?"

She smiled. "Exactly."

"Maybe you should talk things through with someone close to you so that you can dig deep into whatever is going on."

"My best friend is on trial for attempted murder." She pulled out her phone and checked the date. "Damn. The trial is this Friday. I'd almost convinced myself it was a few more weeks away."

"That sucks, but I know you'll all be glad it's over with." Philip took another drink of his coffee. "You're avoiding my question. You don't just have one friend in the world. Who's another girl you could talk to?"

Bethany thought about it for a second, and her mother popped into her mind. The only hesitation was that her mom didn't like Damon to begin with.

"You got someone?" Philip lifted his eyebrow and gave her a cheeky grin.

"Yeah. You trying to end our date before it starts?" She relaxed a little for the first time in a long time.

"You know this isn't a real date." He smiled. "How many times have you thought about Damon?"

"Not once." She gave him a sheepish look. "All right. Several."

"Exactly. Who are you going to talk to about all of this stuff?"

"My mom. I'll go over to Kent's when we get done. You're right. I need to get all of it off my chest." She picked up her coffee mug and nursed her coffee until it was gone.

Maybe having Philip as a friend and nothing else would work out not only in her favor but Damon's as well.

How messed up would that be?

"Mom? You here?" Bethany called out as she walked through the kitchen toward the living room.

"In here, baby."

She turned to walk toward the large master bedroom at the far end of the house. Her mom was standing by the full-length mirror near the bathroom with a pretty white dress hanging in front of her. She turned and smiled.

"What do you think of this? Too much?"

Bethany walked toward her mom and glanced down at the dress. "What's it for?"

"A dinner party Kent's having with some of his clients. I'm supposed to be there, but I've been begging him to let me out of it."

"What?" Bethany chuckled and reached for her mom, pulling her into a tight hug. "You're going to be great there. You always are."

"I know, but you know how weird I feel around rich people." She sighed and pulled back. "It's like I'm still dirt-floor poor and scrambling to rub two nickels together."

"But you're not, Mom. You have everything anyone could want." Bethany moved back and sat on the edge of the bed.

"All I want is a healthy, happy family. As much as I want to kick Damon in the shin, I still care about him." Her mom laid the dress down on the bed beside her and moved to stand in front of her. "Want to tell me what's going on?"

Bethany flopped back on the bed and let out a long groan. "I'd rather get back to living my life instead of talking about Damon all the damn time."

"All right. Then what do you want to talk about instead?" Her mom climbed onto the bed beside her and rolled onto her side. She reached over and pushed Bethany's hair back. "We can talk about anything you want to."

Bethany rolled over to face her mom and closed her eyes. "I want to talk about Damon."

Her mom laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Then talk to me, but let me tell you something you might not want to hear first."

"Oh great." Bethany moved back and curled up into the fetal position as she looked up at her mom. The dark circles and worry lines were almost gone. The new life Kent had given her was beyond good for her spirit. Maybe even though asking her to move up the wedding was done with selfish intent, something good came out of it. Her mom was happy.

"I know you and Damon have been going through a lot lately, and I've noticed that you're not wearing your engagement ring. I can put two and two together. I'm not sure what has the two of you walking away from something you seemed so bold about only a month or so ago, but I think you'd better stop running for a minute and really think about what you're giving up."

"I thought you didn't like him, Mom." Bethany rolled on her back and sat up.

"I love him as a part of my family now, Beth. I'm not thrilled with the way he acts, or his cocky attitude, but it's part of his charm from what you've said."

"It is." She brushed her fingers by her lips. "He hired his ex-girlfriend's twin sister and Philip back to the firm. Why? Is he trying to tear us apart? This woman is a raging bitch. She's been nothing but horrible to me."

"Is she the reason you quit? You've never quit anything in your whole life."

"Partially. I can't be there and walk around him every day like he doesn't exist." She turned to face her mom. "It hurts too much."

"You know, it took me a year to finally tell Kent that I would have a glass of wine with him. He would come into the bank where I worked and would try to get my attention all the time. But my mindset wouldn't let him be anything but a villain."

"What? I don't understand." Bethany pressed her elbows to her knees and held her chin in her hands. She and her mother hadn't talked much about how she'd met Kent. It seemed to happen fast from Bethany's perspective, but maybe she didn't know the full story.

"I was the victim, Beth. Your father ruined my life and ripped away my hope for a future with a solid family like I thought we were." She sat up and wrapped her arms around herself. "Everything Kent did or said, I would analyze it. Was he up to something? Trying to pull one over on me?"

"No. He's a good guy, Mom."

"And so are his sons, baby." She reached out and brushed her knuckles softly down Bethany's cheek. "You're not a victim. Damon isn't out to get you. He isn't trying to undermine you or pull something over your head. He's an ass sometimes because he's a cocky alpha male, but that's a good thing too, right? You like that about him."

"I love it." Beth glanced down at her hands. "I've never thought of myself as a victim."

"Your dad walked out on both of us. You might not have given it a name, Beth, but you've treated Damon and every other guy in your life like there's something behind their smile. You do that because, like me, you feel like you've been a victim of an unfair life."

"It was unfair. Dad messed up everything." Beth's voice cracked as she glanced up. "He's a bastard, and I hate him."

"I know, baby, but Damon isn't like him. Neither is Kent." She moved to her knees and pulled Bethany into another long hug. "Think about what I'm saying. Just chew on it, and it might make sense."

"Beth?" The sound of Damon's voice caused her heart to almost stop in her chest.

"Oh Lord." She pulled from her mom and got off the bed. "In here."

Damon rounded the corner and stopped. His beautifully tanned complexion was washed out, his eyes wide and filled with pain.

"What's wrong?" Bethany moved toward him without hesitation. She reached for him, sliding her hands up his strong chest and cupping the side of his neck. "Damon. What's going on?"

"I just called Kendal because Matt reamed me for being a dick." He glanced at my mom. "Sorry, Karen."

"Don't mind me." She got up and walked around them, leaving them standing in the doorway.

"What's going on with Kendal?" Fear danced in the center of Bethany's chest.

"His sister died today." Damon closed his eyes and took a shallow breath. "I was such a cock to him the last time we spoke, but to hear him crying on the phone a few minutes ago…"

"Oh my God. Where is she? What happened?"

"She's been in the hospital with MS for a long time. He's her caregiver."

"What do we need to do?" She ran her hands back down his chest and stepped back, giving him a little bit of room.

"I need to go up there. I was coming to find you, but I'll check in later this week. You okay? I'm so sorry about the shit with Delilah. We're handling it."

"I'm not coming back." Bethany shook her head. "I can't."

He reached out and touched the side of her face as his eyes grew glossy. "I understand. I support whatever decision you make."

"Go to Kendal. Tell him that I'm thinking about him."

Damon nodded and turned, walking out without another word. It was only after he left that she realized that her word choice might not have been the smartest.

She would explain herself when he came back to her. Maybe then they could talk through everything and figure out where they truly stood and where to go from there.

Would the story change if she decided that she wasn't a victim and Damon wasn't doing things with malicious intent?

Yeah. It would change a lot of things.