Page 23 of I Love You Again
"Your dad was right Trina," he sighed. "Jim was completely right. Think about it. The man was dying, and he wanted to make sure his daughter didn't have her loser boyfriend dragging her down. Especially since you'd just gotten accepted atStanford."
"You weren't a loser tome."
"Maybe not, but that didn't change the fact that I was. I kept promising I'd change and going back on my word. I wasn't good for you. I wish that I could have changed sooner for both you and your dad. I wasn't being a coward when I left. Sometimes it takes more courage to leave the thing you love the most than to fight forit."
His words gripped at her heart and held her attention. It intrigued her that he could still talk about her thatway.
"Sometimes..." He stopped and stared deeply at her. "Sometimes you have to realize when you can't have something, or be with someone. I was always selfish and stole whatever I wanted because I could. Leaving you was the one time in my life when I wasn't selfish, and I was powerless to do anythingelse."
A tear ran down her cheek, and he reached forward and smoothed his hands overhers.
"I'm sorry." She could see that he was very much a victimtoo.
"It's me who's sorry," hesaid.
She wanted to ask him something else but held back. She wanted to know how it happened. How her father told him to leave. Maybe it was irrelevant, but she felt she needed to know. It was the kind of thing that would gnaw away at her mind if she didn'task.
"How'd it happen? I mean did something happen for my dad to get so worked up that he told you toleave."
Brad pulled in a deep breath.Of course, that was the part he'd conveniently left out last night when he told her what happened. It was the trigger that set Jim off and made him banish Brad fromher.
Last night he told her that her father simply asked him to leave after an argument, and that he thought Brad was no good forher.
"I stole something, and he had to bail me out. Again." There that was enough said. He didn't have to let her know what he stole, or even that he still had it and carried it with him like someweirdo.
He didn't even understand it himself. Or, the even crazier notion that he'd paid for it. The jewelry store owner dropped the charges when he paid, but realistically the sensible thing to do was return thering.
Why'd he keepit?
Maybe because it was the only thing he stole that meant something to him. Maybe it was because of what it represented and reminded him of her. Maybe he saw it as hers and didn't want anyone else to have it. Even when she herselfdidn't.
He didn'tknow.
"Oh," she replied looking down to their hands joined together on the table. "Isee."
"Is there anything else you want to ask me?" He thought he shouldask.
She shook her head, the impact loosened a strand from her ponytail, and she smoothed it behind her ear with her free hand. He pulled his hands back releasingher.
"It's good to see you Brad." Her beautiful eyes held his and like always he found himself lost within the autumnal hue and the wealth of emotion that brimmed withinthem.
"It's really good to see you too," Brad replied. He couldn't express how great it was to see her. Or, how fulfilled he felt in herpresence.
Yesterday he wondered around the area and hung out in the bar for most of the day. He didn't want to risk going back into an argument so stayed away long enough to give her a chance to cool off. When he got back, she wassleeping.
"So, I guess we have a wedding to workon."
"We do. But not for the next six days," he pointed out with asmile.
She returned the smile. "Yeah. I forgot that. I feel bad because we're theirbest people. I still can't believe you're Neil's best friend and I never once sawyou."
"Same here. I suppose it's because we never got the chance to meetup."
"That's probably my fault. I'm always so busy with work. I see Jennifer when we meet to eat or goshopping."
He nodded. He was busytoo.
"What are we going to do for six days?" she offered a smallsmile.
"Well, you can start filling the time by telling me about work. You're a surgeon. That must beexciting."
She smiled wide at thecomment.
"And, you can tell me about your non-catfish fighting company." She chuckled. At least she waslaughing.
He grinned back ather.
"Alright, Trina. I'll happily tell you about my non-catfish fightingcompany."
