Her mother nodded thoughtfully. ‘I don’t worry about you nearly as much as I worry about the other two.’
‘Why?’
‘I always knew you’d be all right. Your siblings, on the other hand, are harder.’
Bewilderment muddled her brain. ‘I always thought you admired their ruthlessness. The way they don’t let emotion dictate to them.’
Her mother shook her head gently. ‘Emotion isn’t a bad thing.’
Wasn’t it? ‘It scares me. Alex scares me. He distorts my judgement and wipes away my self-control.’
‘That’s not his fault. He seems like a nice man.’
Huh. ‘Nice isn’t the word. He’s manipulative and arrogant and annoying and…’ Gorgeous, protective, passionate.
‘Yet you love him anyway.’
Phoebe froze. ‘No, I don’t.’
Her mother shot her a shrewd look and Phoebe blinked. She couldn’t be in love with Alex. Could she? Her mind raced. ‘Oh, God. I think I do.’
‘You think?’
‘I don’t know. I mean… I’ve never been in love before. How do I know if that’s what this…thing…is?’
‘How does he make you feel?’
‘Like I could rule the world.’
‘So what are you doing here?’
‘I told him I never wanted to see him again.’
‘Oh dear,’ said her mother. ‘I can’t imagine that would have gone down very well.’
‘It was his fault. He accused me of using our relationship to further my business.’
‘Oh.’ Her mother frowned.
‘Quite.’
‘Then you need to talk. Communication is the thing. Give him the chance to explain. To apologise.’
‘I did and he did.’
‘And you still turned him away? I’m lost.’
‘So am I,’ Phoebe wailed. ‘Totally and utterly lost. I hate that my mental stability depends on him. I hate that he can do this to me.’
‘Phoebe, darling, have faith in yourself. Loving someone and marrying them doesn’t mean you have to give up your independence. And so what if it does? At times, you’ll have to rely on him. At others he’ll rely on you.’
Phoebe hiccupped. What would it be like to have someone to lean on from time to time? Someone strong and dependable. Someone to protect you when you were attacked, to pick you up when you fell. Someone like Alex. Her heart began to thud.
‘If he’s The One, it doesn’t make you vulnerable and it doesn’t mean you’re any weaker.’
Phoebe gave a shaky laugh. ‘I can’t believe you’re talking about “The One”.’
‘What do you think your father is?’