Page 71 of How We Loved

“Don’t be sorry. I’m glad you did. What were the fights about?”

“Ben’s upset that I’m not hanging out with him like I used to, and Trevor’s mad that I went to Ben’s house for Thanksgiving. He doesn’t understand that we’re family. We always will be.”

“Trevor needs to understand that, especially when it comes to your families. You can step back from your friendship with Ben—a little,” she emphasizes, “but you can’t cut him out completely. It’s not possible with your parents’ connection, with your connection.”

Tears fall again. “That’s what Ben said.”

She rubs her hand down my hair. “He’s right.”

I nod. “I know. How do I get Trevor to see that?”

“It will take time. If he’s the right guy, then he will.”

“But if he doesn’t?” I ask, choking back my sobs.

Her face falls. “Then, maybe he’s not someone you should date.”

I cover my face as I burst into tears. This isn’t what I wanted to hear. I don’t want to believe it. He’s my boyfriend. He should want me to be happy, not crying like this.

“Why don’t you come inside? We were just about to have pie.”

I look up at her.

“Plus, poor Dalton is in there by himself with my dad and Thomas.”

I laugh out loud at that picture. Something I never in a million years would have thought would happen. The hatred they had toward Dalton just a month ago blows my mind.

“Yeah …” She pauses for affect. “They might say they’re okay with him being here, but I know years of resentment have to make it awkward without me in there.”

I chuckle again as I nod. “Yeah, okay. We can go inside.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Maya

I didn’t talk to Trevor at all on Friday. I thought about what to do all day and couldn’t figure it out. I know Natalie is right; if he doesn’t understand how our families work, then maybe he’s not for me. It broke my heart when I came to that realization, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized he just has to be okay with it. Ben will always be a part of my life, and I won’t have it any other way.

I’m barely awake on Saturday morning when my phone rings. I reach for it, and my stomach does a flip when I see Trevor’s name flash across my screen.

Nerves hit me as I swipe the call on to answer.

“Hi,” I say timidly.

“Hey, I’m sorry about Thursday,” he says as his greeting, not even trying to beat around the bush.

I drop my head against my pillow as relief washes over me. “Really?”

Oh my goodness, are my dreams coming true? Does he understand now?

“Yeah. I was an ass. I just hated hearing you cry, especially over that jackass. My dad was pissing me off because he was drunk. When he’s drunk, all I hear is how I’m not good enough or how he wishes I weren’t around. All day, I was counting down the minutes until you got here, so when I heard you weren’t coming, it just made me even more upset.”

I bite my inner lip, not sure what to say as joy spreads throughout my body. This is exactly what I wanted to hear! Now, I just hope he sees the whole picture.

“I need you to understand how our families work. I get that Ben and I were a little too close, but I can’t just cut him out completely. It’s not possible. He will always be a friend to me, and you need to be okay with that. I’ve been miserable at school, not being able to talk to him.”

He sighs. “I get it. Doesn’t mean I like it, but I get it. We have family friends like that too. I guess I didn’t realize just how connected you two are.”

“We’ve literally known each other our entire lives. Our moms were best friends since they were little, and when my mom died, he was there for me. He’s always been there for me—as a friend!” I emphasize. “I promise you two will get along one day. You both just need to get to know each other better.”

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