Hate Notes

won’t work. You’ll continue to slip, and you’ll end up in the same situation, and that’s not fair. So either shit or get off the pot. And you’d better find her a new job if you decide to walk away. She’ll be okay. Believe me, there are plenty of men who would love to lick her wounds.”

I knew he added that last part to test me. He knew that would make me crazy. His words were harsh, but I knew they were the goddamn truth. There was no middle ground with Charlotte. Either I was all in or all out.

“Max, you’re nothing if not a straight shooter. Thank you. I needed the slap in the face.”

That night, alone in my apartment, I stared out at the skyline, no more certain of what I should do. The only thing I was certain of was that Charlotte and I really couldn’t ever just be friends. It would be too painful to watch her moving on with her life. There would never be a time when I didn’t want Charlotte Darling more than my next breath.

When my cell phone rang past midnight, I’d almost ignored it until I saw it was her.

I picked up. “What are you doing up so late?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

My body stirred at the mere sound of her voice, a testament to exactly how weak I was when it came to her. It was much easier to consider a hard break from Charlotte when I wasn’t looking at her or even hearing her voice. Even without her around, I was perpetually hard just thinking about our night together.

“I’m sorry you’re having insomnia.”

“Did I wake you?” she asked.

“No. And it wouldn’t have mattered if you did. How are

Take this time to reevaluate your life and what you want out of it.

Squeezing him tightly, I started to cry. “I missed you so much, Reed.”

He breathed into my neck. “Oh, beautiful. I missed you, too.”

It was funny how sometimes the universe placed something in front of you that was exactly what you needed to see at exactly the right time.

“You came all this way because you thought I was here with a man?”

Even with all that this city had to offer, it was amazing how bland a life could seem when the one person who matters suddenly disappears

It proved that attitude is everything in life. He exuded confidence and wasn’t missing out on anything because he believed he deserved more, and he chose to live, not hide.

Despite the uncertainties, there were so many more things I had become certain about in terms of what I wanted out of life.

Suddenly, it hit me that you could travel across the Atlantic, seek out all the distractions in the world to suppress the pain in your heart . . . but one little reminder was all it took to unravel everything