If You Love Me Read Online Free

smile quickly turned to tears. She
read the words three times, before their meaning finally soaked in. “No!” She
spoke aloud as sat down on the edge of the bathtub with her head in her hands.
“What have I done?”
    Baby,
    After last night I think we both
know we can’t go on like this. It’s tearing us both apart, little by little. We
need a break from each other and from all the tension. You need to figure out
what or who you want once and for all. I love you but I can’t hold you back if
you don’t really want to be with me. So do whatever you need to do. I won’t
stand in your way. If you find your way back to me, my prayers will be
answered. But if you decide you need to move on, I’ll give you your freedom without
a fight. We’ve done enough fighting to last a lifetime. I’ll be at Dillon’s but
don’t try to call or come by. Take this time to think about everything and I’ll
do the same. We’ll talk about where we go from here when the time is right.
    Until then, be safe, my love.
    Adam
    Her first instinct was to call him
and tell him to get his ass back home where he belonged. But she stopped
herself before she finished dialing his number. She went to the kitchen and
made a pot of strong, black coffee. Sitting on the couch with a mug of the
steaming brew, she thought about her next move.
    Finally, she called her friend, Amy,
and asked her to come over. She told her she needed a friend and that’s all it
took for Amy to drop what she was doing and head her way.
    When Amy showed up at the front
door, Ashley met her with a tear-stained face.
    “Thanks for coming.”
    “What’s happened, Ash? I haven’t
seen you this upset since jerk-boy ran out on you. Oh, no, don’t tell me…you
and Adam are fighting again?”
    Ashley nodded sadly. “I’m afraid
we’ve had the fight to end all fights this time. A real knock-down, drag-out,
so bad that he packed his bags and went to crash at Dillon’s place.”
    “Not Adam? I can’t believe he’d do
that. Adam is crazy in love with you, why would he walk out like that?”
    “He has this crazy notion I’m still
pining away for Ross. He told me to go after the ‘one who got away.’ He said he
wouldn’t stand in my way any longer. I have to admit, there’ve been times I’ve
wondered what might have been if Ross had reacted differently to my ultimatum
that night, but I honestly love Adam. I guess I haven’t shown him that
recently. Now it may be too late.”
    “Give him some time to get over the
fight, but you won’t try to find Ross, will you?”
    “Oh, God no, Amy, I can’t even
believe you asked me that. Actually, I had a dream last night that pretty well
showed me what my life would have been like if I’d married Ross. I have to say,
it was a real wake-up call for me. Everything I’ve been griping about with
Adam, all the little things, were exactly what was missing with Ross. And
they’re the things I’ve realized I want…with Adam. I want the life we have, not
some idealistic dream life with Ross. If I’d married Ross, I have the feeling
it would have been a less than perfect union to say the least.”
    “And you would have told Adam that
this morning, if he’d been here when you woke up,” Amy said, finishing Ashley’s
thoughts.
    “Yes, exactly I thought about
calling him and telling him to come home so we could talk, but it’s too soon.
I’ve hurt him terribly and I’ve got to give him some time.”
    “Don’t wait too long. He may think
you really do want your freedom,” Amy advised.
    “I know, but I’ve got to tread on
eggshells right now,” Ashley replied sadly. “That’s my own fault but I can’t do
anything to upset Adam even more. I’ve got to be very careful until I can
convince him to listen to what I have to say.”
    “Well, girlfriend, I’m here anytime
you need to vent. I’m sure Dillon is getting an earful from Adam right about
now, too.”
    “I’m sure he is, and probably
telling Adam he was right