Keep Her Safe, page 32
“Whitney, sweetheart, you have school and a whole life ahead of you where you have to decide what you want to do. And furthermore, how would you explain being in Mexico with me? Do you think your parents would want you traipsing off to another country while the world is in such chaos? I don’t even know what I’m walking into.”
“Classes are going to be virtual anyway next semester. But I can also take some time off. My parents would be fine if I was with you. They know you’d take care of me and maybe this is the sign we need to tell them about us. I mean, we’ve been hiding this for almost two years now. Maybe it’s time they know?” She lists off the exact counter arguments I knew she’d use. Ones that made sense in a perfect world. But our world wasn’t perfect. It was messy and intertwined with so many other players that would be less than pleased about the news of our relationship.
The idea of telling my two best friends that I’m head over heels in love with their daughter and have been sleeping with her regularly for two years has the anxiety slithering up my spine.
Kevin and Michelle Monroe have been my best friends since freshman year of college. I was roommates with Kevin that first year and Michelle lived across the hall. It was love at first sight for Kevin and Michelle and before long, the three of us were inseparable. I’d even dated her roommate for a while making the four of us annoying co-dependent assholes. I’d been the best man at their wedding, godfather to both Whitney and her older brother Mason and had been a part of every memorable date of their lives until now.
How was I supposed to tell them this? I’d lose the two most important people in my life outside of those I was blood related to, the two constants I’d had for almost twenty years.
But the trade-off was losing Whitney, and I didn’t love that either.
“Whitney…” I take a deep breath preparing to say the words that will undoubtedly break her heart. “It’s just not a good idea.”
“Wh-what isn’t?”
“Any of it. You coming to Mexico. Telling your parents. It’s going to destroy them, Whitney. Your relationship with them. My relationship with them.”
“But… what about your relationship with me?” The unshed tears from earlier are now cascading down her cheeks at full speed. Her heart clearly communicating to her tear ducts what was about to happen. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes before opening them again. “Are you breaking up with me?”
My heart thumps painfully at the thought of not being with her. Not being with the most amazing, brilliant, kind, unbelievably gorgeous woman that I’d ever met. Be strong, Jacob. She needs this. She’s young and she needs to experience life. “I just don’t see how it can work, Whitney.” My words are quiet and soft. The tone I use when I’m making love to her. I swallow. “It was never supposed to get this far… I wasn’t… we weren’t…”
“You weren’t supposed to fall in love with me? Is that where you were going with that?” she says, her tone harsh and more biting than it had been before. “Or was this all just a fucking game to you?” I can see the pain she’s trying to hide beneath the anger but I won’t have her thinking that this wasn’t real.
“It was never a game and you know that. Sometimes things just don’t work out no matter how bad we want them to.” In its most basic terms, that is what this comes down to. We want to be together but it isn’t that simple. Our life isn’t that simple.
She stands, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don’t get a say in this at all? You’ve just made up your mind about this without a care in the world about my feelings? Let me guess, ‘when I’m older I’ll understand?’” The sarcasm drips from her voice, even though I believe that there’s some truth to her statement whether she thinks it or not.
“I do think time and some worldly experience will give you some perspective, baby.” The word slips out and I chastise myself when I see the anger fall from her face at the one word leaving my lips.
“You don’t want this.” She moves into my arms and wraps hers around me. “I know you love me.”
“I do,” I tell her honestly. I wasn’t about to lie to her after all we’d been through and I wasn’t about to let her think that this wasn’t going to be hard on me as well. “I do love you. But sometimes, love isn’t enough. Sometimes loving someone means letting them go.”
“I don’t believe that.” She squeezes me tighter and wipes her tears on my shirt. I rub her back as her shoulders begin to shake. “Please don’t let me go.” Her voice wobbles and I wish I could take her pain away. “I can’t do this without you. I need you.”
Her words cause a painful thump in my chest because in this moment, I don’t know how to move forward without her either. But, one of us has to be strong. “Please don’t do this,” I beg, knowing that she has the power to break me if I don’t shut this down.
“I love you,” she murmurs. “Please.” She sniffles.
I rest my chin on top of her head trying to keep the tears of my own at bay at the thought of it being over between us. “I’m sorry.”
“I can’t believe this is the end.”
“Neither can I.”
I’m well aware that I haven’t said anything to Trey in a few minutes as the particular trip down memory lane that I’ve avoided for the past three years comes at me in full force. I clear my throat and the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
“I’ll be home in two days.”
Get What Was Meant to Be now!
If you follow me on Instagram, then you know this story was born from a stray picture of a very famous woman and her bodyguard that was rumored to be the father to one of her children (the scandal!) If you’ve been following me for longer than I’ve been publishing, then you remember my first ever fanfiction was a bodyguard romance. I’ve wanted to write and publish one for ages and I am so happy with Shay and Damian’s story. I hope you guys loved it too! The Bodyguard is still one of my favorite movies to this day, minus the ending because why couldn’t they end up together!? So, in some ways, this book felt like a love letter to myself.
This book could not have come together without so many amazing women in this community who I feel so lucky to also call my friends. I couldn’t possibly name them all and I want to take a moment to acknowledge all the women that reach out to me every day. The people that check in to chat about more than just spicy books. I see you. I remember you. Thank you. I love you.
Tanya Baker, Melissa Spence and Erica Marselas, thank you for your feedback and your insight. Thank you for always reading all the versions of my books and listening to my lengthy voice messages or rants where I’m really talking to myself. I could write a novel about how grateful I am for your friendship. Thank you for everything. I love you guys.
Becca Mysoor, I hope you know you’re stuck with me now. Thank you for all of your help with this book. Thank you for knowing what I’m trying to say without me having to say it. Thank you for understanding my wants and needs and working with my crazy schedule. I appreciate you so much. You’re just a positive ray of sunshine and I feel so lucky that I have you. Thank you for being you.
Kristen Portillo and Logan Chisholm, thank you for helping make this book perfect! One day I’ll get my tenses and my timelines right the first time around. Until then, I’m grateful I have you guys to catch them. I appreciate you both immensely!
Stacey Blake, thank you for always making the interiors so gorgeous and exactly what I want! I love the way you make my books sparkle.
Ari Basulto, I would be lost without you. Thank you for all that you do to keep me organized! Thank you for running all of my teams and overall Q.B.’s life better than I could. A million thank yous.
Emily Wittig, somehow you always know what I want and I am obsessed with my paperback covers! They are so perfect and I love them. Thank you for always understanding my vision. You’re the best!
Pang Thao, thank you for all of my gorgeous teasers and all of my last minute promo things and all the things I ask you to make me all the time. You’re so good to me and I appreciate everything you do! And thank you for designing this e-book cover! I love it!
Rachel and Alexandra, thank you for being my sounding boards about everything. For stepping up and helping me with so many things. For your advice and your support. Endless thank yous and so much love.
To the ladies at the Author Agency, Becca and Shauna, I am so excited to work with you guys. I feel like this is just the beginning and I’m super excited! Thank you for everything!
To the babes on my street team and ARC team, thank you for your excitement! Thank you for your love for me and my books and that you’re always willing to let me take you over a cliff. The reason I can do what I do is because of you guys in my corner. Thank you for always clapping the loudest. I love you guys so big.
To all of the bloggers and bookstagrammers and TikTokers, thank you for your edits and your reels and your videos and always sharing my books! For still talking about books I wrote two and three years ago and loving them so much. For sharing with your friends (and sometimes your family? Ha) Thank you for everything you do. (Because seriously? Videos are so hard.)
And finally, and most importantly to YOU, to the readers, thank you for letting me into your minds and your hearts again with another book. I hope you enjoyed it! I love you all. Let’s do this again soon—maybe more taboo next time?
STANDALONES
My Best Friend’s Sister
Unconditional
Forget Me Not
Love Unexpected
Always Been You
What Was Meant to Be
BITTERSWEET UNIVERSE
Bittersweet Surrender
Bittersweet Addiction
Bittersweet Love
CAMPUS TALES SERIES
First Semester
Second Semester
Spring Semester
Available through the Read Me Romance Audio Podcast
Fantasy with a Felon
Bestselling author and lover of forbidden romances, tacos, coffee, and wine. Q.B. Tyler gives readers sometimes angsty, sometimes emotional but always deliciously steamy romances featuring sassy heroines and the heroes that worship them. She’s known for writing forbidden (and sometimes taboo) romances, so if that’s your thing, you’ve come to the right place. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her on Instagram (definitely procrastinating), shopping or at brunch.
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Q.B. Tyler, Keep Her Safe
