Brantley

Do. Not. Fall for Valentina again. Do. Not. I can't take it a second time.

Oh, who am I kidding. I never stopped loving Valentina. I messed up when we were young. I never imagined introducing her to my college roommate would mean watching her fall for him, marry him, build a life with him, and have it all blow up in her face.

I really wasn't happy about that last one. I wasn't heartbroken by it either, but I hated seeing her hurt. She deserved better. She deserved the world. She was perfect. She was everything I'd ever wanted in a woman.

I tried to get over her. For years. I told myself it was too late for us. But I didn't think she'd be single again more than twenty years after I fell in love with her. Falling for her again might kill me, but watching her fall for someone else will destroy me.

Maybe there's a chance for us.

Valentina

My divorce is final. I'm single again. Everyone says I should date. Get back on the horse and all that. I'm too raw. Too scared. Not because I'm still in love with my ex but because dating opens me up to being a fool again.

Brantley is safe, though. He can be my shield. He has been for as long as I can remember. Coaxing me out of my shell and helping me step into myself. He's there now, like he's always been. Bringing me dinner, taking me out for drinks, being the favorite uncle for my daughters now that their father is gone.

The more time I spend with Brantley, the more I see the man I never noticed. Kind, smart, affectionate. He's all the things I'd want in a man if I was willing to date again.

Hell, he's all the things I want in a man no matter what. But falling for him is a bad idea. Isn't it?