Gerri scowled at him. “You're allowing it to be over, Jake. Do you want it to be over?”
“Of course not,” he snapped back. “I don't want it to be over, but she was laughing about it. She was acting like everything we did was a joke. Like it wasn't going to hurt her any.”
“But it did hurt her,” Gerri said. “She's a mess, Jake. God, she looked like she attended five funerals back-to-back and couldn't decide whether to try living or just to end it all. She is a mess. She's falling apart over this, and you didn't even bother to talk about it with her.”
He fell silent because she was right. He didn't. He decided to just walk away. He didn't think it would matter.
Gerri crossed her arms, giving him a stern look. “Tell me, Jake, if Casey really didn't want to be with you, would she be falling apart? If she didn't think you guys were compatible, would she be upset, or would she just be able to walk away?”
“I don't know. I don't know what she would do. One second we get along, and suddenly she's talking about how I'm just spare time. I didn't think she wanted me.”
Gerri tilted her head. “Well, that doesn't sound like a very alpha response to the situation. I thought you'd be more manly about this, Jake.”
He growled back at her, angry. “If I would have done what my alpha instinct told me to do, it would have been to walk into that restaurant and tell her that she better buckle up because this ride is gonna last alongtime.”
Gerri seemed to smirk at this. “Yeah, that's good. You should have said that. Why didn't you say that? Instead, you tucked your tail and ran.”
He suddenly froze, realizing that's exactly what he did. He turned around and allowed himself to walk away. He ignored everything his body wanted him to do. Why?
He leaned back in his chair and looked at Gerri. She held a sad smile on her face now. “Even after all these years, you still don't think you're worth the trouble, do you?”
Gerri knew his past. He'd talked to her about it before, allowing her into his small world. Gerri understood and told him one day that she hoped he could realize he was worth it. He was worth everything.
He didn't know what to say. He still felt like that guy trying to win his parent's attention. He was still trying to be what they wanted. He knew he would always be a disappointment.
“I've seen you do so much, Jake. You have so much to offer, but instead of fighting for what you want, you're allowing it to slip right through your fingers. Just like you did so many other times.”
“Like when?”
“Your relationships in the past; you keep yourself at a distance, being sure to never get hurt. You took a chance, and you got hurt. Buck up, Jake. Because love isn't easy. It's a damn marathon that never stops. You're going to hurt. You're going to ache. But damn it, it's worth it.”
He could see the determination in Gerri's eyes, and he knew she meant every word.
“Is she not worth it, Jake? Is she not enough?”
He'd always put his emotions aside because he figured he wasn't worth other people's time. He grew used to shutting people out, people that didn’t appreciate him, and ones that did. He did things to harden his heart because of his family relationship.
Jake never fought for what he wanted anymore. He knew with his parents and his brother, there wasn't much he could do, but this he could change. What happened with Casey could be changed for the better.
He knew her friends didn't like him, but he could change that. He knew they wouldn't like him after what happened, but he could get them to come around over time. He should have walked up to them and been himself because, just as Casey had said, they would take to him in the end.
It wasn't like his family, where for a lifetime, he'd always felt like they looked down on him. This wasn't his family. This was Casey. The person that clearly cared about him, and he'd screwed up. He needed to fix this.
“I should have fought for her,” he finally admitted.
He watched Gerri raise her eyebrow and slowly nod her head in agreement. “You should have.”
“I will,” he said. “I will fight for her.”
She smiled. “I'm happy to hear that. I want you two to get together because you are meant for each other.” She dug around in her purse. “There is a charity event that she will be attending tonight, and lucky for you, I'm prepared to save this relationship from the rubble that it's crumbled to.”
He looked at her, confused until he watched her slip a ticket out from her purse. She placed it down on the table, giving him a sinister smile. “Now, go through the back door, and be sure to wear proper attire. If you want to catch her attention, you had better be breathtaking, Jake. Look like the Prince Charming she needs.”
Jake stared at the ticket while she pulled herself up and patted her skirt down.
“Why the back door?” he asked, confused.
“Because I said so,” Gerri snipped. “Do you want a chance to fix this or not?”