Brandon (Anderson Billionaires #3) - Melody Anne Page 0,92

suddenly not happy? What if I miss my independence? I think Brandon does care about me. Will I feel I can’t leave him, then, or be a true monster? Will I be giving up my own independence and my own happiness because I don’t want to hurt him? I am happy with him right now, but what if that changes and I’m no longer happy?”

Her words stopped Sarah from what she’d been about to say as she seemed to think about Chloe’s comments and questions. She finally shrugged.

“That could happen, Chloe. But just know if it does, then you have two best friends who will support you no matter what. And as much as I know about Brandon, I think it’s more than clear that it would break his heart if you were to leave, but it would break it even more if you were to stay at your own expense. Take it a day at a time. Enjoy being in love with him, and worry about what you’re going to feel later. If your feelings start to change, you can talk to him about it. If you don’t want to talk to him right then, you can talk to Brooke and me.”

“I’m scared I won’t be able to,” Chloe said.

“Because you think Brooke or I would judge you?” Sarah said, her eyes widening.

“No. I’m afraid I’ll judge me.”

This made Sarah laugh. “Oh, darling, it’s way too late for that. You’ve been judging yourself for a very long time. But you have Brooke and me to help rein you in when you’re getting out of control.”

“I guess that’s true,” Chloe said after a bit.

“Let’s have lunch and plan a menu, and I won’t push you on the subject of love for at least a day or two. If you want to talk about your love story, you can—if not, then we’ll just be three besties having a great meal, planning another great meal.”

“That’s the story of my life,” Chloe said.

Though she said it, it wasn’t exactly true. The story of her life was shifting and changing. Now Brandon was a huge part of her story, and if she was fully honest, she’d admit he wasn’t going anywhere . . . maybe not ever. She might have fears, and she might feel trapped sometimes. But the alternative was to live without him. And that scared her more than the other options.

Maybe she already was trapped. Maybe it was too late to do anything about it. And maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Chloe let out a nervous breath as she thought about the evening to come. She’d been to some lavish events, but they hadn’t been something she’d enjoyed. She remembered being young and having her parents get her all dolled up as they’d opened a new restaurant or held a big book-signing event.

Everyone had always looked at her, and she’d been expected to act a certain way. It had been nerve-racking. Now the eyes weren’t on just her parents—they were on her and the job she’d done. Of course, it wasn’t just her work. The kitchen might be the heart, but the entire facility was on show for this soft opening.

What if she screwed everything up and made an utter fool of herself? She’d been driving all the workers crazy with her need for perfection. But what if it wasn’t perfect enough? Ugh. If she could get out of her head long enough to enjoy this night, it might go a lot more smoothly for her.

To add to her anxiety, her relationship with Brandon was going almost too perfectly. You’d think that would have given her assurance, but it was even scarier. It meant that she was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. She was waiting for it all to go wrong. She was also desperately trying not to think that way anymore. That was the old her. The assurances from her best friends did help her, but it was truly hard to change her ways. She’d thought a certain way for a lot of years, and it wasn’t easy to switch tracks and think in a new light.

So instead of going into full-on panic mode, she sat in her kitchen and sipped on some hot tea as she tried motivating herself to get on with her day and get ready. While she was still having an internal conversation, a knock sounded on her door. She groaned.

There wasn’t a chance she was up for visitors at the