Hardin Scott has been madly in love with Tessa Young since the moment he first laid eyes on her, but there's no way she could ever see him as anything more than a friend. After all, he's a bad boy with a promiscuous past and she's a sweet and innoce...
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I don't want to get married anymore. I don't want to get married anymore. I don't want to get married anymore. I don't want to get married anymore.
Tessa's words just keep echoing in my head. Who knew seven little words could ruin your life and shatter all your hopes and dreams for the future?
"Hardin? Please, say something."
I immediately jump to my feet and start running my hand through my hair. "Y-you don't want to... marry me anymore?"
"Hardin, please, just listen," she begs, but I can barely hear her through the sound of my heart shattering into a million pieces.
"You don't want to marry me anymore," I slowly repeat, like it will somehow help it make sense to me.
I barely notice as Tessa walks over to me. "Hardin—"
"Whatever I did, I can fix it, I swear!"
"Hardin—"
"It's because I kept pushing you to get married before you were ready, isn't it? I promise I'll wait until you're ready, even if it takes until we're in our eighties." I desperately grab onto Tessa's hands. "Please, baby, just don't leave me," I plead.
"Hardin, calm down. I'm not leaving you," she promises as she reaches up and lovingly caresses my cheek. "I still want to be with you."
"Then why can't we still get married?"
"I just don't feel the same about marriage anymore."
"So, we'll just stay boyfriend and girlfriend forever? We'll never be anything more?"
"But we'll still be together."
"What did I do to make you not want to be married to me?" I ask, desperately searching her face for any explanation.
"It's not you. It's... me."
"The 'It's not you, it's me' speech? Seriously?"
"Hardin, please let me explain."
I reluctantly follow Tessa back to the edge of the dock and we both sit down again.
"Hardin, after I ran into my mother, I just kept thinking about the kind of person she is now. Remember how I told you that when I was young my parents took me to the aquarium? Well, that's one of the few happy memories I have with both of them. My father left not long after that and my mother started turning into the judgmental, controlling, bitter woman you had the pleasure of meeting."
"I don't understand what this has to do with you not wanting to marry me anymore."
"I think that before my mother got married and had me she was actually a happy, nice person. After she got married and had to raise me, she changed into the person she is now. I'm... I'm afraid that's going to happen to me."
"What are you talking about, Tessa?"
"I can't help but wonder if I'm destined to turn into my mother. I'm afraid that if we get married, one day you'll wake up married to someone just like her and that will end up one of two ways. You'll either stay in an unhappy marriage for the children's sake... or you'll leave me and I'll just be left to die alone and miserable."
"Tessa, this is what's been bothering you? This is the reason you don't want to get married anymore?"
"Yes."
"Tess, I know you're an intelligent woman, but that has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say."
"Hardin..."
"No, Tessa. You're going to listen to me now. When I ran into that insufferable woman, I had absolutely no idea she was your mother. And do you know why? Because you're nothing like her!"
"Not now. But Hardin, if I do turn out to be even a fraction like her... you won't want to be with me anymore. I'm just saving us both the trouble of an unhappy marriage and an inevitable divorce."
"Theresa Lynn Young, I've never met anyone else like you in my entire life. You are sweet, loving, intelligent, generous, helpful, caring, patient, understanding, forgiving and most importantly... you were able to see the light in me. You aren't going to be like your mother. You're never going to be like anybody else because you're you. And there's no one else like you."
"Hardin..." Tessa sniffles.
"And that's exactly the kind of person I want to spend forever with."
"I seriously don't know what to say..."
"Well, that's a first," I tease and Tessa lets out a small laugh.
"I love you. I'm sorry I let my mother get into my head... and ultimately come between us, just like she wanted. Can you ever forgive me?"
"I might be able to find it in my heart to forgive you... on one condition."
"What's that?" She continues to sniffle.
"Still marry me."
"I think I have to. I'm never going to find anyone else who will see me the way that you do." She smiles through her tears.
"Then they're fools. But that's good news for me because I'll get to have you all to myself... forever. That's all I've ever wanted. Come here, my beautiful girl," I say before pulling her into a hug. "I love you, baby," I say into her hair.
"I love you, Hardin. Forever," she whispers.
"Now I'm going to take you back home, where you belong."
"Okay," she whispers.
After Tessa and I finally get up from sitting at our spot on the dock, we walk back through the woods holding hands. Once I see my car, I start to pull her with me.
"Um, Hardin, I drove my own car here."
"Oh. Well, I'm not letting you out of my sight, so that you can run away again."
"So what are we going to do?"
"You drive back and I'll follow behind. I mean it, baby. I'm not letting you out of my sight."
"I wouldn't expect anything less." She giggles.
And just like I promised, I follow Tessa's car all the way home, never letting her leave my sight.
Once we get back to our apartment building, park our cars and Tessa gets out, I quickly snatch her hand and drag her back to the apartment with me. "I think I'm going to place you under house arrest."
"Hardin!" She giggles.
"I'm serious, baby."
"I know you are! But we have dinner at Emma and Nate's tonight."
"Well... okay. But after dinner we're coming right back here and I'm going to make sure you stay confined to that bedroom," I say as I point to our bedroom and shoot Tessa a devilish grin.
