Dear Love Vixen, I feel a bit silly writing you, but I’m desperate. Last week, I received a call from my mom that I needed to come home for two weeks. All she said it was urgent, family-related and I absolutely had to be there. And since I have about twelve weeks of vacation saved up and owe my mom for giving birth to me, I fly back home – after agreeing to still work my twelve hour days to my bosszilla. What could go wrong? And the day after I land? My childhood best friend turned one-time lover turned nemesis decides to show up reminding me of some stupid pact we had made a decade ago that if we both weren’t married by 28, we would marry each other. We were 17 and dumb, what can I say? And now my “fiancé” (seriously, he calls himself that!) shows up every day with flowers, sends me singing telegrams and cooks dinner for my mom and I. He’s trying to win me over, but I still am hurt by the way he broke my heart back when we were 17. I don’t know if I will be able to trust him ever again, even with those six-pack abs he not-so-subtly displayed for me. So, Love Vixen, help me! My 28th birthday is just two weeks away and I don’t know if I can put myself out on the line again. How can I tell if he is for real or if he is going to shatter my poor heart all over again? Yours, Desperate and on a Deadline Dear Desperate and on a Deadline, Girl, this one is doozy! You have got one determined guy on your hands and that tells me a lot. After all, why would he be trying so hard to win your love if he didn’t care about you? In the age of social media and dating apps, most women are lucky if they get a guy to respond to their text in under 24 hours and you have a man chasing you all around town! Unfortunately there’s no test or formula out there to ensure you that you won’t get your heart broken. All I can do is to tell you to trust your gut. Do you get the butterflies when you see him? And most importantly: does the thought of not being with him make your stomach sick? That will tell you more than any quiz ever could. Good luck, hon! The ♥️ Vixen