“You’re talking about the fact she didn’t tell you about Seb losing his job? She was probably protecting his ego.”

“It isn’t just that.”

He pulled her against him and held her tightly, murmuring indistinct words of comfort. “You haven’t killed anything, Alix.”

You ruined my wedding.

The words rang in her head. “I have. And this is why I don’t have relationships. It’s exhausting.”

She slid out of bed, ignoring the hand he reached out to her. How could she have relaxed her guard enough to let him in emotionally? She never did that. Never. But this time she had, and now she was going to pay the price. Again. She grabbed her robe, thrust her arms into it and tied it, covering herself, but still she felt exposed. Vulnerable.

“Not all relationships have to be complicated. Some are just plain fun.” He sat up in bed, and she looked away because right at that moment she didn’t want to look at his shoulders, or his bare chest, or any other part of him. The intimacy of it felt out of place with the conversation they were having.

And she definitely didn’t want to think or talk about feelings. She’d had enough of it to last her a lifetime.

She walked to the window. “Can we stop talking about it?” She heard the sound of sheets rustling and then felt his hands on her shoulders.

“You’re so hard on yourself. No one is perfect, Alix. Relationships aren’t easy—not for anyone. It’s not just you. And when you hit a rocky patch, it doesn’t mean you’re bad at them. People are complex. It certainly doesn’t mean you should give up. Some relationships are worth fighting for—like the one you have with Christy. Are you simply going to give up on it?”

“I—” Was she? “I don’t know what I’m going to do. All I know is that I never want to feel this bad again.”

“All relationships hit difficult patches. How could they not? And sometimes it isn’t possible to work through it or find a compromise—sometimes you might not want to find a way through it—but other times it’s worth doing whatever it takes to try to fix it. You think the reason your parents don’t spend time with you is because it’s something you’ve done, whereas it’s all about them. You and Christy have hit a bumpy patch because you were both navigating a huge change, and for some reason you weren’t doing it together. But it’s going to work out.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.”

She leaned her head against his chest. “How about you and Seb? Has your friendship changed since he got married?”

“It’s different, I think. Seb says, ‘Want to meet up for a couple of beers?’ and I say, ‘Yes, great idea.’ He says, ‘I’m getting married. Will you be my best man?’ and I say, ‘Sure, why not.’ That’s as complicated as it gets. We don’t try and unpick it. But our friendship is nothing like yours and Christy’s.” He turned her to face him. “There’s something else you haven’t considered.”