Free Missed Connections: Stepping Out by Marie Harte Page A

wanted to meet you to talk about Aaron and Conlan.” Lisa smiled, a genuine show of pleasure. “I think my brother is head over heels for you.”
    Gwen’s heart raced, and she did her best not to jostle her cup as she took a sip of tea. “Oh?”
    Lisa sighed. “My brother, you, me, we’ve all been a victim of someone else’s lies. It took him half a year to bounce back. From what you said, it took you just as long. But I can’t just ‘bounce back.’” Lisa rubbed her rounded belly. “Not with the baby on the way.”
    “Aaron might be a jerk, but because of him, you have a gift.” Gwen reached across the table to grab Lisa’s hand. “You don’t know me from Adam, but I have to tell you that from what I know of Conlan, you have one firm guy to lean on when the baby comes. He sure loves you.”
    Lisa smiled and looked ready to cry again. “I know. My dad too. He’s on vacation right now, but he’s so sweet. I just hate feeling like a failure.”
    Lisa cried, pitiful sobs that wrenched at Gwen’s heart because they were so soft, so wounded. “Oh, Lisa. It’ll get better. Getting Aaron out of your life will make everything—”
    “That’s just it. I’m not sure what I want. I know he cheated on me months ago. That you aren’t the only craigslist ad he’s posted. He flirts, and he’s fun. I know why women want to be with him.”
    “Um, yeah, about that.” Gwen hated that Lisa thought she’d actually tried to date her fiancé.
    “He hurt me, but he can also be so loving. I sound like a total wimp. Heck, you nearly set your ex’s things on fire. I kicked mine out of the house. But I’m not sure…”
    “Even after what Conlan told you? Lisa, this is none of my business, but if a man clearly can’t commit to me, and he doesn’t want my baby, I’m not staying with him.”
    “What?”
    Gwen frowned. “You know. That Aaron doesn’t want the baby. He’s not ready…? Conlan talked to Aaron the other day. You said he told you.”
    Lisa’s lips pinched.
    Shit.
    “Conlan told me about what happened with you and your cousin, the mix-up at Donton’s. What’s this about my brother meeting with Aaron?”
    “Ah, I don’t think it’s my place to—”
    “Tell me.” Lisa turned their grip around so that she was holding on to Gwen’s hand. The little pregnant lady had fingers as tight as a vise.
    “O-kay.” Gwen eased her pained fingers from Lisa’s. She explained exactly what Conlan had told her. “So you see, Conlan planned on telling you, but then you had that stay at the hospital. He was scared of upsetting you and hurting the baby.”
    Lisa seemed to listen, because her frown faded. “No one believes that I can know my own mind.” She snorted. “But I don’t know if I can blame them. I don’t know what I want.”
    She paused, then stared at Gwen with a gaze eerily similar to Conlan’s. Her eyes were so dark brown, so rich, but so sad.
    “Aaron really said he doesn’t want the baby? That he can’t imagine not being with other women?”
    “I think so.”
    “That he loves me?”
    “He also said he’s a sex addict, and women can’t help being attracted to him. That cheating is not his fault.” Finally, a small fire in Lisa’s eyes.
    Lisa scowled. “He tried that on me, but I wasn’t buying it. He’s too lazy to be addicted to anything but staring at himself in the mirror.”
    And this is the guy you want to marry? Gwen kept silent, listening. If she’d learned anything from her experiences, it was that sometimes you just needed to shut up and be there, a silent sounding board. Mia had been that, and she’d helped more than Gwen could say.
    “I’m sorry.” Lisa wiped her eyes. “You’re probably wondering what the hell you’re doing here. We’ve never even met before, and I’m burdening you with my life story.”
    “No. Talk to me. It’ll help. What do you want? Not what your family or your friends want. What do you want?”
    Lisa was quiet for a moment. “I