“Don't you dare promise my son something like that without checking with me first,” she hissed.
“I'm sorry, I just assumed it would be okay,” I said. “He's family after all, and you wanted us to spend more time with him. I didn't think it would be a problem.”
She sighed. “It's not, usually,” she said, her tone slightly softer. “But you can't just waltz in here and make promises like that. You can't just assume you can take him somewhere without checking to see if it's okay with me first.”
“Why? Afraid I might not keep them?”
“Maybe,” she said. She put her hands on her hips and glared at me.
“Right, because I was the one who broke my promise to you,” I said. “Oh wait, no. That's not how it went at all, actually. I was ready to come back from Harvard and marry you, Hadley, but you were already engaged to Chris when I got back to town.”
“You know why, Gabe,” she said, her voice suddenly dropping.
“I do, and we've talked about this. It was a lie,” I explained patiently. “I didn't cheat on you, and I never would have dated Jessica had you not broken up with me.”
“You actually did date her then?”
“Only after you went and got together with Chris, yes,” I said. “She was my rebound.”
Hadley shook her head. “Unbelievable. Of course she was.”
“What? You want me to apologize for dating someone else after you dumped me? Well, it's not going to happen, Hadley.”
I failed to mention that we also rushed into an engagement as soon as Chris and Hadley got engaged. I didn't think that would help my argument much.
“I didn't even know about her lies to you, Hadley,” I said, a little more gently. “Not until you mentioned it the other day.”
Her blue eyes became more crystalline and shiny as tears welled up in them. She bit her lip and refused to look at me, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.
“Hadley,” I said, stepping closer to her and lifting her chin up, forcing her to look into my eyes, “I've always loved you. I'd have given anything to be the one to marry you, but I didn't know about what Jessica told you. I just wanted you to be happy, and you seemed happy with Chris.”
“I was happy with Chris,” she said, sniffling. “Very happy. I loved him so much, Gabe.”
“I know you did,” I said, thought it sent an all too familiar sliver of pain through my heart.
“But I never stopped loving you either, and for that, I feel guilty,” she said softly. “Chris deserved better than that. You deserve better than this – that what I have to offer you now. I'm so confused, I can't take it anymore, Gabe.”
She broke down, the tears streaming down her cheeks freely. She buried her face into my shoulder and I held her close, letting her sob. I had no words that would bring her comfort, At least, none that I could think of in the moment, so I just held her. I held her close and whispered soothing words into her ear.
“I'm a horrible person,” she whispered.
“No, you're not,” I said.
“Even you think people should only be in love with one person at a time,” she said.
“No, I was talking about me. What I want, Hadley,” I said. “I'm not judging what others do, as long as it's consensual and everyone is honest. Frankly, it's none of my business. I just don't want to share you.”
I lifted her chin again and stared into those big, beautiful eyes of hers. I hoped she could see the sincerity. The earnestness I felt. I hoped she knew I was telling the truth, and that I meant it. I hoped she knew I was not judging her.
“You were good to my best friend in this whole world, Hadley. He loved you and you loved him,” I said. “Whatever else you felt, you didn't let it get in the way of your relationship. You respected Chris and honored your vows every single day.”
Her lower lip trembled as the tears continued to roll freely. I wanted to kiss her so badly, but I figured it probably wouldn't be the best time for it. We were talking about her deceased and she already felt bad about having feelings for others. I didn't want to exacerbate the situation.
Instead, I leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. I pressed my lips to her soft skin and held her for a long time. Her body relaxed into me, and she breathed deeply. She smelled so good, like coconut and fresh, salty beach air.
A few moments later, she stepped back and wiped at her eyes, a small smile on her face.
“Thanks, Gabe,” she said, taking my hand in hers and giving it a quick squeeze. “I'm sorry I went off on you like that. I don't know what's up with my emotions these days.”