far as you not being good enough for him, it’s actually the opposite. He isn’t good enough for you.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“No. No, I’m not. You’re amazing and sweet and pretty, and he’d be lucky to have you.”
“Li, why are you doing this?”
“Because . . . I genuinely like the guy. I respect him. And, because I can see that your feelings for him are much stronger than your feelings for me. You’re happier with him.”
“I’m happy with you too.”
“Yes, but it’s not the same. Go home to him, Kelsey. You obviously love him. Tell him that. Give him a chance.” He sniggered quietly. “But don’t forget to tell him that I was the bigger man who walked away.” He reached over and wrapped me in a bear hug. “I’ll miss you, Kelsey.”
Something in me clicked, and my perspective suddenly changed. It was time to let Li go. It wasn’t fair to continue to put him through this. My heart would never belong to him; deep down, I’d known that for a while. I’d been using him as an emotional crutch. My whole relationship with him had become an excuse so I could postpone facing Ren. Whether I ended up with Ren or not, I knew this had to be the end for Li and me.
Emotional, I hugged him back. “I’ll miss you too. You’ve been good to me and good for me. I won’t forget you. Tell the guys thanks for teaching me to play.”
“Sure thing. Come on.” He stood and helped me up, kissing my cheek softly. “Let’s get you home. And, Kelsey?”
“Yes?”
“If he ever does leave you, tell him I’ll come looking for him.”
I laughed forlornly. “I’m sorry I put you through this, Li.”
He shrugged. “You’re worth it. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I’d forced your hand when he showed up, you would have chosen him anyway. At least this way, I got to hang around a little bit longer.”
“It wasn’t fair to you.”
“Didn’t somebody say that all’s fair in love and war? This was a little bit of love mixed in with a little bit of war. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
I took his hand in both of mine and squeezed. “You’re going to make some woman very happy someday, Li. And I hope that someday finds you soon.”
“Well if you happen to have a twin sister somewhere, send her my way.”
I laughed, but I felt like crying.
Li drove me home. We were both silent, and I thought about what he had said. He was right. Ren was a careful, thoughtful person. He’d had centuries to think about what he wanted. For some reason, he wanted me. I knew deep down that he loved me and would never leave me. I also knew that if I had chosen someone else, he would’ve always been around to take care of me if I needed him.
My feelings for him were never in question. Li was right. I should tell him. Tell him that I’d made my choice.
I’d been deliberately trying to seduce the man for several weeks, and now that I was finally going to get what I wanted . . . I was nervous. My resolve wobbled. I felt suddenly vulnerable, fragile. My thoughts were incoherent and scattered. What should I say?
When he stopped the car, Li encouraged me one more time. “Tell him, Kelsey.” He hugged me briefly and then drove off.
I stood outside Ren’s door for too many minutes thinking about what I was going to say.
The door opened, and Ren came out to stand beside me. His feet were bare, and he was still wearing his muscle shirt and white pants from wushu. He looked earnestly at my face and sighed unhappily. “Tell me what, Kells?”
In a stilted voice, I said, “Heard that, did you?”
“Yes.” His face was tight, cautious. I suddenly realized that he thought I was going to choose Li.
He ran a hand through his hair. “What would you like to tell me?”
“I’d like to tell you that I’ve made my choice.”
“I figured that.”
I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, but he remained stiff and unyielding. I stood up on my tiptoes to get closer. He sighed, reached down to put his arms around me, and picked me up. He held my body snugly against his rock-solid chest while my feet hovered several inches in the air. I spoke softly in his ear, “I choose you.”
He froze . . . then drew his head