“Okay.”

“Are you in love with Bette, or are you in love with the idea of Bette? Are you running toward something, or away from the mess with Darren?” Jaylyn asked knowing she was already proud of Tina for taking this step but also wanted to test her to make sure she was serious about Bette because she couldn’t see Bette broken again.

“I’m in love with Bette,” Tina said without hesitation. “I’ve been in love with her since we were teenagers. I was just too scared to admit it.”

“Even when you were with Darren?”

“Especially when I was with Darren.” Tina’s voice grew quieter. “Every milestone, every important moment – I wished she was there. When Carson was born, when he took his first steps, when he said his first word – I wanted to call her. I wanted to share it with her.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Because I’d made my choice. I’d chosen him, and I thought I had to live with it.”

Jaylyn was quiet for a long moment, swirling the wine in her glass. “Can I tell you something about my sister?”

“You mean cousin?”

“I mean my sister. Because that’s what she became to me after you broke her heart. She showed up at my apartment that night, after you chose Darren, and she was… destroyed, Tina. Absolutely destroyed.”

Tina felt her chest tighten. “Jaylyn…”

“No, you need to hear this. She sat on my couch and cried for three hours. Three hours of heartbreak that she’d been holding in for God knows how long. And you know what she said to me?”

Tina shook her head, not trusting her voice.

“She said, ‘I should have told her. I should have been brave enough to tell her how I felt.’ She blamed herself, Tina. For not fighting for you.”

“She shouldn’t have. It wasn’t her fault.”

“No, it wasn’t. It was yours. You broke the heart of the best person either of us has ever known, and she spent ten years thinking it was her fault.”

The words hit Tina like physical blows. “I know. I know I hurt her. That’s why I want to make it right.”

“By upending your entire life and moving across the country?”

“By proving that this time, I’m willing to take the risk. That this time, I’m choosing her.”