Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
I nodded. That I did know. Christian was amazing and brilliant, and as Dr. Gresham stated, Christian had a passion for helping people.
“How are you feeling with Christian?” Dr. Gresham asked me. “You two are together, yes? I remember Meghan mentioning to me that you two are.”
“We’re together,” I confirmed. I drew in a deep breath. “Is it horrible of me to say that sometimes I feel like everything moves so fast with him?” I asked Dr. Gresham, looking up into his kind, aging face. “God, I lose myself in him. He’s so good with me. He understands everything, and he’s never judged me—not yet, anyway. But he wants so much, and I’m terrified that I’m going to fall into him completely, and he’s going to end up ripping my heart out.” I swallowed thickly, staring at the brick path beneath my feet. “It’s already still so broken and bruised,” I whispered.
“No, it’s not horrible of you to say that, Ally,” Dr. Gresham assured me. “It’s already a huge step for you to allow him into your life like this. You’ve always been so guarded, doing your best to protect yourself. But Christian doesn’t strike me as the kind of man that will give up on you, Ally. You can push and shove at him, but something in my gut tells me that he’ll push back just as hard, forcing you to let him stay.” He looked over at me. “And that’s not a bad thing, Ally. You’ve fought so hard these past few years to stay strong for Axel, Meghan, and Julian. You fought so hard to not let them down. Let Christian hold you up while you rest. It’s okay to do that.”
“Is it really, though?” I asked him. “Christian has a life outside of me,” I reminded him. “He has to go back to work in two days. I’ll be stuck at home with nothing but my thoughts to occupy me.” A chill raced down my spine at that thought. “They can still be dark,” I confessed in a much softer voice.
“I imagine that’s due to the fact that your ex is still contacting you, yes? And the anniversary of your miscarriage just passed.”
I swallowed thickly as I stared at Dr. Gresham. “How did you know about my ex?” I asked, my voice trembling. I hadn’t told anyone about the last message.
“Christian went to Axel about it.” My heart thumped crazily in my chest. Axel and Julian never reacted well when I hid shit like this from them. “Axel briefly explained to him that it was your ex texting you, which made a lot of pieces add up in Christian’s brain about why you were suddenly so emotional.” Dr. Gresham smiled over at me. “From what I understand, Christian had a long and thorough talk with your ex. Maybe you should ask Christian about it, but Axel informed me of what was going on because your brother knows you won’t tell me yourself.”
I stared back down at the brick path beneath my feet. “Was he angry?” I asked quietly.
“No,” Dr. Gresham assured me. “Axel knows you’re in good hands with Christian, and he knows Christian will take care of you and help you. Your brother just wishes you would open up more.”
“I do,” I mumbled. “To Meghan.”
“And that’s good,” Dr. Gresham praised. “It’s amazing that you’re opening up to her.” He looked over at me. “If you’re worried about moving forward with Christian, trusting in him completely, talk to Meghan. She went through her own pain and her own torture with another man. You can relate to her in a way because trust me, she didn’t want anything to do with Julian either, but like you, she couldn’t deny him.”
I scuffed my shoe against the ground. “Christian just seems too good for my kind of shit,” I told Dr. Gresham.
“Maybe Christian is perfect for your kind of shit, as you put it,” Dr. Gresham retorted. I continued staring at the ground. “Stop fighting it. Let Christian decide what he wants to do. And if he wants you, wants to be with you, to help you, then let him do that.” Dr. Gresham looked over at me. “Do you want to hurt him?” He asked.
I instantly shook my head no. Pain lanced through my chest at the mere thought of hurting Christian. Dr. Gresham nodded once. “Alright, then. Just let him lead you.”
8
UNEXPECTED VISITOR
Ally
I stepped into the house, my eyes instantly landing on Christian. He was standing at the stove, mixing something in a pot. It smelled delicious, and my stomach rumbled in response. It felt a bit weird to actually have my stomach respond to the scent of food again.
Before we ate dinner though, I wanted to discuss something with him—that something being the conversation he apparently had with my ex.