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Brad and I first got together, I didn’t think I was good enough for him or anyone else because of my past. I basically hid all of that from him. Do you think I was right? Was I not good enough for him?”
    “No,” I shouted, and sat up. “You two are perfect for each other.”
    She smiled. “I think so, too. And I was the one who caused those feelings. You never asked for your parents to act the way they did.”
    I chewed on my bottom lip as I processed everything she had just said. It made sense and I wanted to believe it, but I just didn’t know. I still didn’t feel good enough for Hayes. “And for the record,” she said, “you and Hayes are perfect for each other, too. Just look at that beautiful little girl you two created together.”

Chapter 10
Hayes
     
    It was the last day of finals, which meant the following day would mark a week since I had moved to the couch and completely messed up by trying to be a nice guy. This was why I should stick to being a jerk. I hated it. I hated lying on the couch every night alone while Mac was alone in our bed, letting her thoughts and emotions get the best of her.
    She still talked to me and wore her engagement ring, but she was distant. I just hoped I was doing the right thing by giving her the space she’d asked for.
    But why had I agreed to take Baylee home? I knew this wasn’t just about that, but things would’ve been better if I had left her in the rain and came straight home to Mac. She’d only be dealing with her family—not my stupid mistake.
    After my last final, I picked Harley up from the sitter and swung by a McDonald’s drive thru for lunch. It wasn’t the healthiest lunch for Harley, but I didn’t think one meal would do that much harm. I walked into the kitchen, carrying a bundled up Harley on one arm, my backpack slung over my opposite shoulder, and the bag of food in the other, when Mac’s ringtone, You and Me by Lifehouse, rang out.
    I placed Harley on the floor and dropped everything else on the table before fishing my phone out of my pocket.
    “Hello?”
    “Hey,” she sighed. “Is this a bad time?”
    I had no idea what to do to make her understand how important she was to me. “It’s never a bad time when it comes to you.”
    “Oh…um, I kinda have a favor to ask you, but if you already have plans, it’s no big deal.”
    “Whatever it is, you know I’ll do it.”
    “Oh, well…my brother called me wanting to know if we would have dinner with him and his girlfriend tonight. Would you be willing to go?”
    I had no idea whether having dinner with him was a good idea, but I was going to be by her side either way. “Of course. What time?”
    From the people I could hear talking in the background, I guessed she was walking across campus. “He said around seven. I’ll text him now and hopefully I’ll know what restaurant by the time I get home.”
    “Are you on your way home now?” I asked as I opened some ketchup packets for Harley to dip her nuggets and fries in.
    “Yeah.”
    “Okay. We’re here eating lunch, so I’ll see you in a bit.”
    “Okay.”
    “Hey, Mac,” I said.
    “Yeah?”
    “I love you.”
    I could almost see her biting her lip and tucking her hair behind her ear like she always did when she was nervous or upset. “I love you, too.”
    That made me smile as I disconnected the call. As long as she remembered how much we loved each other, everything would work out.
    I bit into my burger and chewed as I watched Harley eat her nuggets. There weren’t a lot of things that grossed me out, but watching a toddler eat was one of them. “Let’s chew with our mouth closed,” I told her, even though I knew it wouldn’t matter. I just felt like I needed to say it and hopefully one day she’d actually do it.
    I was throwing away our trash when Mac strolled into the kitchen with her bag on her shoulder. We both stared at each other as she set it down on a chair and walked closer to me. Fuck, I wanted to pull her