Page 72 of Marry Me

The next day, with the sun shining and the light of day to calm and soothe her soul, she sat on the park steps that led down to the teddy bear statues just yards away. A young bear playing with an older one, adorable and unexpected in the middle of the path. She’d always imagined the bears were mama and baby, and it made her heart swell, just as it did today.

“There she is,” a deep, familiar voice said from behind.

She stood and turned as Brent descended the steps in a dress shirt and jeans. “What? No tie today? Who are you?”

“I knocked off work early and ditched the fucker. It chokes me.”

“It chokes you,” she said simultaneously. She shook her head, and they laughed. How strange to be laughing with Brent again. Yet familiar, comforting at the same time.

With his hands in his pockets, he surveyed the statues. “I’m glad we chose this spot. These guys missed us,” he said, gesturing to the large and small bear.

“Me, too. Haven’t been out here in a while.” Back in their early days of dating, they used to meet up at the statues on Saturday morning. He’d pick up coffee to-go for both of them, and they’d walk the trails, getting to know each other. She remembered testing out his sense of humor and realizing that he was virtually unflappable and could match her wit. It seemed like such a faraway time now, and that made her heart tug. She studied his face. He seemed thinner, but still Brent, striking no matter what he did.

“Shall we walk?” he asked.

“I’ll follow you.” At first, neither of them said anything as they made their way down the cozy path. It was chilly, but not cold, and that made for a pleasant early evening as she took in the trees, ready to rebound from the winter into the fresh green of spring.

He spoke first. “One of the reasons I invited you was that I wanted to apologize.”

She nodded, absorbing the offered olive branch. “Can you be more specific?”

“My family, as you know, is protective of me. And when theylearned about the engagement, they made some moves I wasn’t aware of and don’t support. But I want you to know that that stops now.”

“You’re talking about blackballing Megan.”

“Yes. And I spoke with my father about it as soon as I heard.”

“I appreciate that. It didn’t really seem your style. I’ll admit, it was upsetting.”

“It’s not who I am. I hope you know that. I’ve asked him to stand down. If I’m being honest, I don’t think she’ll earn back BeLeaf’s business, but maybe he can get out of her way when it comes to the larger community.”

“And is that going to work? You simply asking.”

“I’m hopeful.” He hesitated, looking grim. “But you know Dalton.”

She sighed. “My parents put their house on the market. They were counting on the BeLeaf orders for the Dash Bar.”

He closed his eyes. “Christ. I’m sorry, Al. Not sure I can get him to budge on that one. When he’s embarrassed, he’s a whole different version of himself, which quite frankly sucks. Especially since the bar should be on the shelves based solely on its own merit. This wasn’t supposed to be a favor.”

“I realize.” She paused. “I hope you know that I would never want to embarrass anyone. Especially you.”

He seemed to chew on that for a moment. “I know that you’re a good person just trying to figure it all out, but yeah, it fucking hurts to be jilted in front of everyone.” He stared straight ahead. “But the harder part is missing you. You were my right hand, you know. My sounding board.”

“Your girl Friday,” she said, pulling up a reference he used to make. Life with Brent was always so easy. She knew exactly what she was in for and rarely stressed.

His laugh came with a nip of nostalgia, too. “Yeah, exactly. How’s your family? We already know mine is a little out of joint.”

“Surprisingly in good spirits, given all the setbacks. Betsy isn’t taking the changes in my life so great.”

“Because no one saw it coming.”

“Not even me. Isn’t that strange?”

He paused their walk. “Do you think you’re a lesbian?”

She shrugged, keeping her eyes on the trees that lined the trail. “I think I’m just a person trying to figure it all out. The label doesn’t really fit. I’m not sure what label does.”

“Because when we were together, it didn’t feel like—”

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