Page 6 of The Billionaire's Second Chance
The last time she heard those four words, Pierce was breaking up with her. Granted, if she’d spoken a second sooner, they would have been her four words too. “About what?”
He lifted his gaze to hers. “I just…I thought you and Link would have worked things out by now. I know he still loves you, and you still love him.”
Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t start. We made our choices. He has his life, and I have mine. He’s the one who couldn’t handle our relationship, not me. He gave me an ultimatum, remember?”
Pierce held her gaze a moment, almost like he was debating how to reply. “Right.” He sighed and stood. “Anyway, I wanted to check on you and invite you to dinner at Bella’s tonight.”
Link would be there, but she could ignore him long enough to hang out with Pierce and Bethany. “Sure. Sounds great.” She pushed off the couch and followed Pierce to the door.
He grinned, but it wasn’t his typical full-face one. “I’ll see you tonight.” He opened the door and paused. “Hadley, I’m proud of your success. I hope it’s giving you the happiness you deserve.”
“Thanks, Pierce.” It meant the world to her to hear him say it. “I appreciate it.”
With a wink, he closed the door as he left. Why couldn’t Link be supportive like that? She was happy, sort of. Burnt-out a little, but a few weeks of rest and relaxation would get her rested up and back in the game. All she had to do in the meantime was to avoid her ex as much as she could.
Even as she thought it, her heart ached.
It had been a long five years, and in a matter of a couple hours, they’d started fighting. Maybe they could call a truce and just not talk about that aspect of their lives. That way, they could move on, be friends. It was at least worth trying.
Chapter 6
Link scratched his head as he yawned and got up to answer the door. “Hey, Pierce.” He shook his hand and opened the door wider so his friend could enter.
Pierce grinned. “Did I wake you up?”
“Nah. Well, yeah, but I was awake earlier. I think I dozed off.” He laughed.
“I’m sorry I had to bail on you guys so quickly.”
Shrugging, Link waved him off. “We’re good. Is the dress okay?”
Nodding, his friend smiled. “Crisis averted. I’d have been back sooner, but Bethany wanted to do a little shopping, and I couldn’t say no.” He inhaled and grimaced. “Was the drive here okay?”
“Great, until it wasn’t.” Link raked his hand through his hair as he walked to the couch and sat. “I think it’s time I let her go.” He’d said the words before, but there was always a little hope. Always. It was Hadley, the love of his life. “It kills me to say it, but I can’t wait for her anymore.”
He’d been doing nothing but thinking about it the past week. After figuring out she was avoiding him, he’d done his best to abide by her unspoken wishes. Usually, it didn’t last long, but by the fourth day, he’d given up trying to talk to her.
Pierce took a seat on the couch, sitting forward with his elbows on his knees. “I don’t think so either. So many kids in the foster system fail, and she’s worked her entire life to prove herself. I’m not sure she knows how to quit.”
“Yeah.” Link wished Pierce was wrong, but he wasn’t. Hadley had received awards and accolades, and they would never be enough untilshedecided they were. “I just can’t anymore. I’m holding a candle for someone who doesn’t want to be held.”
“I know. I’m so sorry, Link.” He leaned back. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I will be.”
“What can I do to help?” Pierce asked.
Shrugging, Link shook his head. “Nothing, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” That was about the only thing Link could be sure of. Nothing could fix his grieving heart but time.
“All right, well, I wanted to invite you to dinner tonight at Bella’s. I wasn’t thinking when I did it, but I invited Hadley too.”
Shrugging, Link heaved a heavy sigh. “It’s okay. I can handle it. Besides, she’s the one avoiding me.”
“Okay, well, I have a few errands to run,” Pierce said and stood. “If you do need something, let me know. I’ll make it happen.”
