Gerri set down her mug slowly and laced her fingers on top of the table. “What happened?”
Henry lifted his eyes slowly. “I’m surprised you’re not asking me what I did.”
She smiled slightly at him. A knowing look twinkled in her eyes. “If I know a thing or two about mates, it’s that there are always two sides to a story and that ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s not just one person to blame.”
Henry couldn’t help but feel touched by her words, sensing the genuineness from her that was rare to find in people these days. He’d hardly had any long interactions with Gerri, but from everything he’d heard through the grapevine, as well as his own parents, she always seemed wise beyond her years.
“I just …” He really didn’t even know where to start or if he should be spilling Olivia’s personal information to a practical stranger. But he felt lost and alone in this, and he needed a friend.
“I guess I’m confused. We had an amazing day yesterday. There was a point where she was really vulnerable about something, and she trusted me enough to talk about it with me. It felt really good that she let me in like that. And then we went back to her place and slept together. It was … god, incredible. Like nothing I’d ever had before.”
Gerri gave him a knowing smile, nodding along for him to continue.
“So that was amazing. But this morning, I got a call from one of my brokers about an emergency that I needed to attend to. So I left to go handle that, and once I was done, I opened my phone to find a voicemail from Olivia telling me she was done with me.”
Henry sighed again and put his chin on his hand.
“I really don’t know what went wrong. I get that she was mad that I didn’t say anything to her before I left, but it feels like an overreaction to me.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“I don’t know …”
“Well, it sounds like she’s scared, Henry.”
He frowned. “She seemed pretty pissed to me.”
Gerri nodded, taking her mug off the table again to hold it in her hands.
“Sure, I can see why you may think that. But you also have to remember that she was vulnerable with you yesterday, and it seems like she doesn’t do that with just anyone. I’m sure in any other circumstance, you leaving for a few hours wouldn’t be a deal breaker. But it followed a very intense day and then a very intimate night.”
Henry frowned.
Gerri shifted in her seat. “What I mean to say is that I can see why she felt the need to push you away like that. If she hurts you before you hurt her, then it’s a way for her to protect herself.”
“But I’m not going to hurt her.”
Gerri smiles softly. “I know that, but does she? You two have only just begun your journey together. Of course, you are going to have bumps in the road figuring out where you both stand and how to navigate through tough feelings.”
“I just wished she would’ve given me a chance to explain myself before jumping off the handle.”
“I agree with you. She shouldn't have jumped the gun like that and dismissed you completely. She doesn’t know that her mate would do anything for her to protect and provide for her. She only mistrusts you because she mistrusts herself. I’m sure she’s scared to fall for you and have it end in heartbreak.”
Henry nodded, focusing his attention out the window on the people passing by. Gerri’s words made sense, even if they made him sad to think about. But it was true. Olivia didn’t know that as his mate, he would do absolutely anything to make her happy. To protect her.
All she knew of him was that he was just some guy who was interested in her. Seeing him on a surface level instead of the deep feelings he’d had for her since meeting her.
“How do I tell her how much I care?”
Gerri laughed softly. “You can’t, Henry. She isn’t going to believe you.”
Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair, feeling the exasperation overtake him all over again.
“So, what am I supposed to do?”
“You need to show her. Give her the chance to miss you. She’ll come back. I promise.”
He swallowed. He didn’t want to risk taking the chance of letting her completely cut him off and disregard their entire relationship.
But at the same time, Gerri was a shifter matchmaker for a reason. She knew how these things worked, and if her opinion was to give Olivia space to come back to him, then it was the smarter thing to do than to go busting down her door and demanding she speak with him.
No matter how much his panther snarled at him to do so.
He leaned back and sagged into his chair.
“All right … I’ll listen to your advice.”
Gerri grinned. “Good man.”