Stuck With You: A Sweet Romantic Comedy

Part 18

Bianca

When Camille said I had a bad habit of going for scumbags, I told her that was a bit harsh.

"Is it?" Camille said.

It was a slight exaggeration, but not much of one. The truth was, I never went for anyone I could see myself staying with forever. If the man in question didn't have some obvious fatal flaw, which would inevitably lead to a breakup, then I wasn't interested.

"I don't go for abusers or cheats," I protested.

That was half true. I'd never involved myself with anyone who'd turned out to be abusive. The cheating part? Well, that's happened. Camille just didn't know all the dirty details, or so I thought.

"Practically every man you've ever been with has ended up cheating on you," said Camille. "Maybe it's time you considered—"

"What do you mean 'every man?' There haven't been that many."

Six. There'd been six, if you didn't count the couple of puppy love relationships before Connor.

"What about Wilhelm? He didn't cheat on me," I insisted.

"The guy who got deported back to Germany two weeks after you started seeing each other?"

"Well, that breakup wasn't because he was cheating on me."

"Two weeks is hardly enough time to—"

"And Connor didn't cheat on me," I pointed out. "He just decided he didn't want to get married at the last minute."

"Yes, he did cheat on you," Camille insisted.

"No, he didn't. And how should you know? You weren't even around back then."

"I didn't need to be. Rob's told me all about it."

"Maybe, Rob got it wrong.

"You think Connor and your maid-of-honor really kept their hands off each other right up to the moment he left you at the alter and then went off on what was supposed to be your honeymoon with her?"

"Well, possibly."

"Probably is more likely."

"Thanks for the pancakes, Camille," I said, standing to my feet and picking up my empty plate. "I'll excuse myself. I promised the twins I'd build a pillow fort with them as soon as I was done eating."

"Timo won't cheat on you," Camille said to my retreating back. "I'd stake my life on that."

I didn't bother to answer.

For the rest of the weekend, I avoided the subject of Timo, but that didn't mean I stopped thinking about him. He was practically all I could think about: that and Camille's not so subtle hint that I might have some serious emotional issues I wasn't addressing.

I was sure I didn't want kids. The thought of having a child didn't make me anxious and twitchy; it just didn't appeal. My choice to be child-free was a philosophical choice.

I tried to frame my no-marriage commitment decision in the same way, but it didn't work as well, because, if I was honest, it wasn't just the legal commitment that scared me, it was the very idea of intertwining my life with someone else's. I wasn't delusional enough to convince myself that having a piece of paper on file at the courthouse was the only way that happened.

Time together made that happen. That was what I always avoided. I chose men who'd leave me before I got too attached. I liked knowing going in that the man in question was not "The One."