Page 129 of Pinch of Love

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Page 129 of Pinch of Love

I saw pain circling through her gaze, but I knew there wasn’t anything I could do. She’d made up her mind, and she was a Bailey.

They were hell on wheels.

“Does your sister, niece, or Millie know?”

She shook her head. “No, not yet.”

“Your niece loves having you here.”

“I know.” She let out a deep groan. “Look, Cash. It’s not an easy decision to make, but I figured it was better now than later when our emotions are even more tangled up.”

“Right.”

Mine already had been.

“Last night, when you saw me back here with a blanket draped over my shoulders...” Her breath stuttered. “I was mortified. I’d brought this mess of a life, my mess of a life, into your world. The world where your parents are in love and your brother stops at their house to get their help with a cold bath. I’m the woman who wouldn’t even know where to find my parents, what street corner to look for them on. I’m the woman who couldn’t even cry about my mom passing away.”

“That’s not true. You cried.”

“But not for the reasons you think.” She hugged herself and shook her head. “I’m not the person you deserve. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and you’ve already been through so much loss.”

“So have you,” I said quietly.

“It’s not the same.”

“Who’s to judge?” I eyed her cautiously.

It looked like she was ready to flee. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t have her bags packed.

“Look, Cash. I’m probably making the worst decision of my life, but it’s the best one for now.” Maya’s shoulders stiffened as the weight of the words hung in the air.

“Like you said. Better now than later.”

“I’ve never felt so loved and protected.” Her bottom lip trembled, but she continued. “Being with you made me think anything is possible. I’d never had that. I had to bury myself in psychology books and self-help books to pat myself on the back. But you just did it naturally.”

I shook my head. “So, you just want to throw that away?”

“I want us to be friends.”

“That’s not going to work for me. I can’t just be friends with you, Maya. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

I knew the words that would save this, but that wasn’t fair to her or to me.

Those words meant something. They were what started a forever, not ended one.

Devastation seeped through her expression, but her lips stopped trembling.

“Grace is picking me up for breakfast out with Izzy and Millie. I should go get ready.” She started toward the house.

“Are you going to tell them?” I asked. “At breakfast?”

She stopped and looked behind her and nodded. “Yeah. I’ll let them know.”

But the moment she went inside, I felt it.

My heart fell and broke into a million pieces, but this time, I would piece it together again myself. I wouldn’t do anything stupid.

Even though I knew that this had been our goodbye and that Maya wouldn’t be here when I got back, I straightened my shoulders, called Chewie, and went to my Jeep for a drive.




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