“Why?” I ask, a little confused.
“Well, your mate – he hasn’t figured out who you are yet, right?”
Slowly, I nod.
“Maybe…” Jesse says, shrugging, “let it stay that way for a while – just until you learn more about him. I mean, I’m sure he’s great, but…”
“Just say it, Jesse,” I say, frowning at him.
“Ariel,” he sighs, shaking his head at me. “In your life you’ve only really spent time with men who really respect women and admire their mates. You’ve been a little bit sheltered, which is not a bad thing, but…not all men are like that.”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding and raising my eyebrows at him. “I learned that when I heard my fiancé’s secret conversation with his dad – and thank god I did.”
“I know,” Jesse huffs, looking off into the distance with a grimace as he, too, remembers what I dodg
