Page 85 of Dearest Protector

Gone was the woman who doubted herself and was socially awkward.

I’d attended her graduation on the East Coast, accepting the offered ride in Ian’s private jet. Ben had followed a little later in his own jet, so I hadn’t spent much awkward time together with Ben at the event.

Ben and I had been cordial, but we’d hardly had the opportunity to exchange a few words before the ceremony had started. He’d kept his distance afterward, obviously respecting my request for personal space.

He’d been a man of his word.

He hadn’t called.

He hadn’t texted.

He hadn’t pushed.

Katie had performed her speech like a woman who had no problem being in the public eye.

No one would ever have known that she was self-conscious about being in front of a crowd.

“So,” Katie asked in a pseudo casual tone. “What made you decide to move out of the condo? Spill it, Ariel. Ben told me what happened yesterday, but he didn’t get any sympathy from me. He should have told you the truth. He’s moping around right now like you died. It’s completely pathetic.”

I’d tried extremely hard not to discuss Ben with Katie because she was so close to him, but it hadn’t been easy not to spill everything.

The only thing I’d mentioned was that I wasn’t working for Ben anymore because I wanted to dedicate my time to my business now that it would support me.

Luckily, she hadn’t asked for details because she’d been so busy…until now.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you,” I explained. “But you and Ben are close, and he’s Ian’s brother.”

She lifted a brow. “And you’re my best friend. I cried on your shoulder plenty of times when I was going through drama with Ian. I love Ben, but it’s not like I don’t know that men can be total jackasses. He shouldn’t have kept that kind of information from you. God, I can hardly believe that he was actually there when your accident happened and he never told you. I’ve already lectured him about that and why he should have been upfront with you. Did you think I wouldn’t stand up for you after everything we’ve both been through together?”

I shook my head. I knew Katie would always support me. “It’s not that. I just didn’t want to make things difficult for you.”

“It won’t,” she insisted as she reached into her large tote bag, pulled something out, and tossed it onto my lap with a perfect throw. “I even brought candy, and we’re already drinking wine. I’m staying for a while.”

I laughed as I lifted the enormous bag of candy that had been handpicked and packed.

I already knew it was from our favorite candy store in the city, one that we’d rarely been able to afford when we were younger.

I’d never been allowed to eat sweets because of my dancing career and my rigorous diet, but Katie and I had snuck out to get some a few times. We’d been so stealthy that my mother had never found out.

“Thanks,” I said as I removed the tie around the bag. “I probably don’t need a lot of help filling out my hips now. I think I’ve already gained plenty of weight since I went to work for Ben, but I’m eating it anyway.”

There was something very therapeutic about chocolate, especially when it involved men, disagreements, and broken hearts.

She folded her arms across her chest stubbornly. “You’re like a sister to me. We’ve known each other since we were kids. I’m not leaving until you tell me everything.”

I popped a chocolate into my mouth, tossed some to Katie, and then washed it down with a sip of my wine before I started talking.

I caught her up on what Ben hadn’t told her, and I answered any and all of her questions.

“So, I guess the only thing left to do is to decide if you’re going to eventually forgive him,” Katie stated before she devoured another chocolate.

I sighed. “It’s not like I don’t want to do that,” I confessed. “Maybe I’m still trying to figure out exactly what happened. We were really close, and then things turned sexual, too. I gave the man my virginity for God’s sake, which is something I could never regret because it was amazing. Crap! I think I’m just afraid that he’ll decide there’s other things he thinks I’m too fragile to handle in the future, and he’ll hide them. I know he didn’t mean to hurt me. In his own, misguided way, I think he was trying to protect me.”

I’d done a lot of thinking since Ben had told me the truth, and that was the only thing that really made sense.

I wasn’t confused anymore, and I’d finally stopped thinking with my heart.

Ididknow Ben.

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