what is it?”
“We love each other. Why can’t she come to me with problems?”
“That’s it. You need to solve it all for her? Your sister would kick my butt if I said I had to solve all her problems. Robin isn’t your job. She’s your significant other.”
“But Meena is independent.”
“And Robin isn’t?”
Shit again. “She is,” he admitted. How many times had Robin pointed out that she approached him? That she wanted him and she was going to make that move?
And yet all he could remember was the hurt and vulnerable woman who came to his office in tears over her broken marriage.
Maybe he did want to take care of her.
Maybe he wanted to solve her problems.
“And she’s close with her brother. I get it. It might be complicated at times, but you said Rick was a decent person. Is he telling her things that are causing issues between you two?”
“No. It’s almost like he’s encouraging her to come to me.”
“Then I don’t see the problem, Brian.”
“When you put it like that, I guess there might not be one. Or not as big of a one as I’m making it out to be.”
Brian left and then drove back to Robin’s. He opened the door and didn’t find her in the living room. He went upstairs looking and she was on the bed curled in a little ball crying her eyes out.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She looked up quickly. “Brian. You’re back. I didn’t think you were coming back.”
“I just needed to think. I went to talk to Troy.”
“You told him everything?”
“Not everything. We’re close enough that he knows when something is wrong. He knows me better than I know myself half the time. And he’s good enough to let me know when I’m wrong.”
“You shouldn’t have just walked out without talking to me,” she said. “You said you wanted to talk things through and then you left.”
“I did. I’m sorry about that. I just don’t understand why you can’t come to me for things.”
“I’m trying. I didn’t know it bothered you so much that I talk to my brother, but we’re close. He has been there for me for everything in life. I can’t not go to him. Sometimes it’s a habit.”
“I’m not asking you to not tell him. I just want you to not be afraid to tell me things. Or that I’m the last to know when I should be the first. I haven’t gotten mad over anything you’ve said to me once.”
“Says the man that just stormed out of my house.”
He actually laughed. Yeah, she wasn’t the naive vulnerable woman anymore. “I mean the news you’ve had to tell me. But the point is, I understand you are close with your brother and I don’t want to come between that, but I do want you to trust me. To not feel like you can’t.”
“I do trust you. I don’t compare you and Alex and I never would. There’s no comparison there. In more ways than one.”
“There’s not,” he said. “Well, there is one. I acted like an idiot.”
“You did. But I understand where you’re coming from. I shouldn’t be afraid to tell you things and I need to work on that myself. I thought I was getting so much better standing up for myself in life and then every once in a while something triggers feelings of insecurity.”
“We all have them. Even I do. Obviously I’m bothered you’re going to your brother over me.”
“I won’t do it again. I never told Rick my marriage problems. I suspected Alex was having an affair and never said a word to Rick. I didn’t want him to go after Alex or tell him or confront him. And I was embarrassed.”
“So you go to your brother for advice or to vent then?”
“I do. And his advice lately is to go to you. I hope you don’t think he’s trying to come between us.”
“I don’t,” he said. “And I think that is part of what made me realize I was being foolish.”
“Can we kiss and make up now?” she asked.
He held his arms open. “Come here. We can make up. And you can tell me about the baby. How far along are you? Have you seen the doctor? Everything. Geez, I didn’t even ask how you were feeling.”
She laughed. “I haven’t seen a doctor. That’s next week. I think I’m about six weeks along and I feel great. Nauseous a few times, but nothing major. I feel even better now that I know you’re