It was no surprise Leah felt insecure sometimes. He was ogled whether out alone or with her; some women truly have no shame.
Radleigh handed me my drink, and after thanking him, I said, “You wanna tell me what happened?”
Blowing out a breath, he shook his head. “I don’t understand her right now. It’s like some kind of monster has taken over her and she can’t hear anything I say.”
“What’s the problem? I overheard her saying something about being lonely.”
“Right. And it’s crazy. I know she misses me when I’m away, but it’s never for longer than a couple of days, and she knows where I am. I call her. All the time. When I land wherever we’re going, when I get to the hotel. I call her before I go to sleep, and first thing in the morning. I always have. Nothing’s changed, but the past few weeks it’s like nothing is enough. Every time I leave the house she wants to know where I’m going and how long I’ll be. If I’m late, she freaks out, and I can’t… I don’t know what to do.”
I never thought I’d see the day when I felt bad for Radleigh McCoy. Perhaps this was karma for all the women he’d pumped and dumped over the years.
“You’re not… thinking of leaving her, right?”
Truly, I didn’t think he would but he looked so dejected.
His head snapped up, shock in his eyes. “Of course not. But she keeps making stupid comments about how there are so many women I meet when I’m on the road, and how none of them are frumpy and overweight like she is. Sometimes she baits me and other times she’s quiet about it, but it’s always the same thing. She thinks she doesn’t look good and that I’ll find someone else. I don’t want anyone else. Why would I?”
“Why do you think she feels this way?”
“Damned if I know. My mom says it’s hormonal. Some crap about how she wants to keep her family close right now and I should be patient. I’m trying to be, but she keeps on pushing. It’s just so damn frustrating!” He growled, his fists clenched. “I can’t believe after everything she still doesn’t trust me.”
I couldn’t help thinking it was because of everything that she still didn’t trust him, but that was beside the point. Because, honestly, he was right. Again. Their rough start was over. Like a million years ago. While we both knew it was a hormonal thing making her paranoid, it didn’t make the situation any easier to live with.
“I’ve never been pregnant so I can’t speak from experience,” I began, “but I have friends who have children, and some of them said they went through the same kind of thing. They felt gross and heavy and unattractive, and-”
Radleigh shook his head. “She’s never looked more fucking beautiful. Every day I’m with her, and I know she’s carrying our baby inside her, it makes me… I just want to kiss her and thank her for giving me something I never knew I wanted so much. She’s not unattractive, she’s perfect.” He turned to me, his fingers unclenching slightly and a tiny smile lifting the corners of his lips. “If you tell anyone I said that, I’ll kill you.”
I laughed softly. “Have you told Leah? Because she’s the one who needs to hear it. If you feel that way every day, tell her every day. Tell her until she believes it. Don’t let her let those bad thoughts get the best of her. She’s tough, she can work through it on her own, but she doesn’t have to. You’re here.”
I blinked back the tears as I said those last words because I wanted that. A man who was there for me. Like Leah, I could deal on my own, I had no choice. But I wanted to feel love again, the way I did with Will. More than anything, I wanted to get through a full conversation with someone that didn’t end with me feeling so shitty. Shitty about losing Will, and shitty for being a useless friend.
“I do tell her,” Radleigh said. “Sometimes it’s okay and it makes her feel better. Other times it’s the start of a new