care that I vaguely hear my son fussing down the hall or that my family has probably heard every word of this conversation.
I only care that Masey is developing feelings for me, too.
“Don’t be scared. Just…one day at a time, okay?”
“I don’t know if I can do that.”
Because trust is hard for her.
You get that. It’s taken you four years after her to trust enough to try the relationship thing again.
This won’t be a quick fix. We’ll need to talk, but I’ve got to deal with a whole bunch of other stuff first.
“Stay here. Give me one minute.”
“Trace…”
“One.” I hold up a finger as I back toward the door, then open it behind me, slide out, and shut it quietly again.
It will be a miracle if she stays.
I jog down the hall to find Noah helping my mother to the front door with one hand. He’s holding Ranger with the other.
“Everything all right, bro?” he asks.
I shrug his question away, then turn my attention to Makuahine. “You okay? How’s your ankle?”
She sends me a soft smile that tells me my concern is unnecessary. “Tender, but otherwise fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“Good.” I focus on Noah. “You? Harlow? Nolan?”
“All good. We just came by to visit. Makuahine wanted out of the house. Harlow said Masey was here, but it didn’t occur to me she would be filming.” Or that we would have a fight. “Sorry.”
I shake my head. “It’s fine. If you don’t need anything from me…”
“No. Why don’t you let us take Ranger for the night?” my brother offers.
My mother’s face softens. “Focus on your girl, keikikāne.”
I’m torn. I love my son, but Masey and I need the alone time right now. If I want to keep her, she’s where I need to focus.
“That would be helpful. Thanks.”
“No problem,” Noah assures. “He’s got clothes at Makuahine’s place. We’ll swing by there since she wanted to check on her plants anyway and pick those up, along with his playpen. Just call us tomorrow when you’re free. No rush. We’ll bring Ranger back. Until then, we’ll have fun.” My brother bounces my son in his arm. “Won’t we, big guy?”
He looks alert and content, then he lunges for my mother, who happily coos and cuddles him.
I kiss his little head and rub his shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow, baby man.”
Noah nods my way as he helps my mother and my son out the door. Makuahine pauses so I can kiss her cheek. Then they’re gone, and I lock the door behind them.
I’m alone with Masey.
I march back down the hall and throw the door open. “They’re gone now. It’s just us.”
But I see she’s already got her stuff half packed. “May I borrow your phone? I need to call Harlow to come get me. As soon as Noah gets home—”
“He’ll tell her to keep her ass put. They’re watching Ranger for the night. She won’t come for you.”
“Then let me call a taxi.”
“Stop. This isn’t about what you think you saw me doing with Caitlyn. This is about you licking your wounds and making excuses for not confronting your fears. How’s that going to work out? You going to keep running? How long can you do that? A year? Two? Five? A decade? Are you so afraid of taking a chance with me that you’d tuck tail like your ass is on fire and throw us away before we even figure out what we’ve got?”
“Don’t psychoanalyze me. Maybe I’m just not ready to try again.”
“Or maybe you just don’t care if he wins.”
“Wins?” She clenches her fists at her sides and scowls. “It’s not a game.”
“No, it’s your life, and ten months after he walked out of it, you’re still giving him power over you.”
“What do you know about relationships? By your own admission, you’ve never had one.”
“None that lasted, and I learned from my mistake.”
“What mistake was that?”
“I blamed myself for everything that went wrong, just like you’re doing. You believed you weren’t sexy enough or good enough in bed or that you worked too much. And you thought all that because Thom told you so. Just like he told you everything else was your fault. Because you’re kind, sensitive, and caring, you took his blame. Then when he fed you excuses about your sex life and how he was spending his time, you swallowed those, too. It was all bullshit, honey. You’re sexy as fuck and great in bed. Only you know how much your business needs attention, not him.