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"It's not that," she ain

My hand goes to her jaw and I e her, "Then tell me what it is"

I'm stunned when Jules jerks her face away from me and shoots up off the couch, only to spin back around and face

"It's everything, Max," she says desperately "You're rich and I' you their phone numbers and bikini models at fancy photo shoots for hot bachelor cos about irlfriends who don't even have the grace to whisper behind ner clothes, but instead snidely tell it toyour fans accoster to my face"

"What?" I snarl as I come off the couch "When did that happen?"

Jules seeer expended by her rant She lets out a pained breath and drops her eyes to the floor, "It doesn't matter"

"It does matter," I insist as my hands come to her shoulders

She raises her face, and my stomach pitches when I see a flatness there I've never seen before "It doesn'tI have to accept, and MaxI'm sorry, but it's just not easy to be with you sometimes"

"Jules," I say softly as I pull her intoher in safety

She turns her head and rests her cheek against my chest I'ather ht

"Did you ever have soood happen to you?" Julesfantastic that you start to worry about when that bubble will burst, and then you start worrying about the pain it will cause you And you don't want pain You're tired of it so you want to avoid it at all costs So you end up not enjoying that really great thing because all you can think about is the inevitability of its loss and what that will do to you"

"You're not going to lose me," I assure her

"Maybe not," she agrees "But I can't help but worry about it constantly I can't help being sensitive to what others are saying, and fuck, MaxI don't even want to go out in public with you It's just not easy, and I really need easy in ht now"

I don't even knohat to fucking say to any of this I have no clue how to alleviate her worries But apparently I haven't heard it all, because she pulls away fro she needs a bit of space

Jules steps back, puts her hands in her pockets and says, "Dwayne wroteto petition the court to teruardianship"

"That will never fucking happen," I growl, suddenly forgetting everything else that Jules told me, and I know that this wave of protectiveness that just burst forth is not only for Jules but for those kids

She givesin my life that I have to deal with, and I will deal with it ButI need to make my life easier so I can keep my head clear If I have to battle for those kids--"

"Are you saying you want to break up?" I cut in, needing to know exactly where the fuck she's going with this

My knees almost buckle when she shakes her head and says, "No That's not what I's haveon, that I'uess if I had to pinpoint ould be the best thing, it would be for us to maybe slon a bit"

"Slon?" I ask,as to what this means

"I need some space," she says sadly "I need to prioritize and those kids have to co ball gowns or going out to lunch with you, constantly worried that sos to ht now so I can focus on the is"

Those i me, I think bitterly

"That sounds an awful lot like we're breaking up," I say harshly

"No, Max," she says, and I have to ads to slon I don't want to go to that galait's si in together And I don't want to go to Houlihan's with you after a game, and I don't even want to show a what people think It stressesfor soet into the fact I'ed into the spotlight and that is so I cannot ever let happen"

I finally reachpoint in this crazy conversation "For fuck's sake, Jules At some point you can't lead your life worried about what others think"

"You're right," she says softly "And maybe if my life were normal, I'd have a bit more fortitude to push past this Butand I can't handle oneSo I have to cut out some of that mess"

"You need to cut me out," I throw out

"No," she says again firmly

"Oh, I get it," I say with a sarcastic so out in public with aht? Maybe I come over here for dinner, or you come to my house once a week and we'll fuck Is that it?"

"God no," she exclai a step toward me "It's not like that"