A Waltz With Wolves (Book II in The Harrison Inc. Series) | ✓

Chapter Thirty-Five: A Mutual Choice

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Throughout my life, three men have told me that they loved me.

Beyond maternal love or "friendly" love; innocent love. These declarations of love were ones that I categorized from the heart or soul, whichever place you find more sentimental.

Hudson was first. We were at dinner in New York with a few of his friends from his firm. On the taxi ride back to the hotel, he told me he loved me. I knew he didn't mean it, but I replied anyway to ensure the simplest of car rides was not over complicated: "I love you, too."

Alejandro was second. In Venetia, is where he told me. Not in person, no. Over the phone - the burner phone that was supplied to me from my estranged grandmother. In Colombia, thousands of miles away, he told me that he loved me. But I didn't say it back. Not yet, at least. I haven't even called Alejandro back yet; I'm scared for what words are going to come out of my mouth or what words will come out of his. 

And lastly, Sebastian was third. Sebastian Harrison - the president of Harrison Incorporated. Hollywood's favorite retired playboy. Media heart throb. Paparazzi favorite. My client. The man that I slept with, breaking his heart right after. Sebastian was different - is different. He didn't tell me that he loved me, but told me that he was in love with me. Surprisingly, there's a difference. To say you love someone is easy to an extent, depending on the context. But to be in love with someone is completely different; there are no contextual gray areas that can save you if you confess that you are in love with someone. To be in love is to be completely invested in that one person - body, mind and spirit. To be in love is to look past all flaws, to dock all judgment and accept that person for who they are because your mind and your heart refuse to see anything else but the perfect being in front of you.

So, when Sebastian confessed that he was in love with me, I didn't know what to say. I stared mouth agape like the village idiot and had a difficult time processing his words. Honestly speaking, I didn't believe him. After he walked away, Claude following him, I thought that he was crazy. In love with me? I couldn't understand. After moments of contemplation, I became angry because I still couldn't understand.

"He's lying," I thought to myself. "He can't be in love with me. That doesn't make any sense. How can he tell me this after all this time? It's too late now," my anger arose, "I have a boyfriend. Alejandro. Why would he tell me this while I have a fucking boyfriend? Why did he make things more complicated?"

I retreated into the house and asked Granny Fae for her in the kitchen. And when she came in to meet with me, I couldn't stop talking. The tears flowed freely as I angrily - bitterly - told her of the horrible, awful thing that Sebastian just did; the crime he had committed.

"Slow down," she said. "Wh-what happened? What did he do?"

"He just told me that he's in love with me," I repeated more coherently. "Right now. Just now." I wiped the tears with my shirt sleeve. "Why would he do something like that? Why would he even say something like that?"

Granny Fae was confused. I went from the village idiot to the village crazy lady.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, sniffling.

"Because," Granny Fae replied before laughing, "I just...I don't understand, dear. I don't understand why you're so upset!"

"This isn't funny!" I whined as she laughed - cackled, even. "I'm upset because this just over complicated everything! For one, we are both in relationships. Secondly, he is my client and thirdly, he knows the mess this would create if -"

"Leslie, stop," she told me, her cackling fading into a slight giggle. "That isn't why you're upset."

"What?"