Page 56 of Committed to You

She shifts in her seat. “You should let him tell you.”

“Seriously, Piper? Start talking.”

She sighs. “Noah is going to kill me if he finds out I told you.”

“One, if you know something about Chase, you owe it to me to spill it. Two, you can’t just say something like that and not tell me.” I glare at her.

“Okay. You’re right. But this didn’t come from me.”

I throw my hands in the air. “Fine. Whatever. Now spill it.”

“Chase and Jamison had a best friend named Matt. The three of them used to do everything together. According to Jamison, Chase worked double shifts for three years so he could save to have a ring designed for his girlfriend, Jennifer.” She pauses.

“So, he had a fiancé? Has he been married before?”

“No. The day he picked up the ring, he went home to hide it. He had the entire proposal planned for a few days later. When he got home, he caught Matt in bed with Jennifer.”

My gut drops, and my heart bleeds, thinking of Chase going through that.

“After that happened, that’s when he started his ‘friends with benefits’ rule,” Piper says.

Chase’s voice rings through my head, “At least my relationships are honest. Most people in relationships lie and cheat on each other. I know exactly what I’m getting, and so do the women I’m with.”

His comment seemed absurd to me at the time, but now I understood why he believes that. He had gotten his heart broken.

“That’s horrible that he went through that, Piper,” I say.

“Yes. The guys said he was devastated for a long time.”

“I’m sure.”

“After I heard that, I realized he doesn’t have a commitment problem, he has a trust problem,” Piper points out again.

“He doesn’t trust me, then,” I say sadly.

“Maybe he’s getting there, and he just needs some time to realize it?”

“And how long am I supposed to wait for him to get there? He may never get there. I can’t keep doing this.”

She pats my hand. “Okay. You don’t have to decide this today. Maybe make your decision after you talk on Friday?”

“Okay.”

“Not to change the subject, but Noah needs your parents’ address. He hired a driver for them for Thursday night.”

“Really? That’s nice of him. They will appreciate that. Thank you.”

“Sure. We’re all so proud of you. Noah hired a driver for you and your date, too.”

“I’m not taking a date.”

“Why not?”

I sarcastically laugh. “I’ve been so hung up on Chase, my dating life was sacrificed. In the back of my mind, I always pictured us there together. Stupid, I know. The only date I could have taken was Trent, and we all saw how that turned out.”

“You could still ask Trent. I bet he would jump at the chance to go with you,” Piper suggests.

“Oh, I can just see that. Shots anyone?”

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