Page 60 of Late Nights

Chucking my phone down on the bed, I got up and left my bedroom. I’d go down to the kitchen and see what I could make, then see if Demi wanted to join me. That would be the nice thing to do, the friendly thing to do. It had nothing to do with hoping to spend time with her, see that smile of hers, hopefully say something to make her blush. Nope, it was purely a friendly gesture.

As I walked through the living room, I glanced out the window and did a double-take. Someone was standing out on the dock. Getting a closer look, I could see it was Demi, her blonde hair swept up in a messy bun, wrapped up in a blanket as she looked out over the lake.

What was she doing out there?

My body was already moving to grab my coat and shoes before I had a chance to think.

My boots crunched against the snow as I came up beside her. She frantically swiped at her cheeks, her eyes watery.

Crap. She’d been crying, and I’d reacted without thinking, practically running out here to be with her. Despite my lame efforts to keep space between us, one look at her and I had come chasing after her. She’d come out here to be alone, and I’d come barreling over like an idiot.

Maybe I should have walked away, but I couldn’t without making sure she was okay first. “Hey, is everything all right?” I asked gently.

She glanced up at me with a shaky smile, trying to compose herself. “Yeah.” She looked back out toward the water, like she couldn’t say more without crying again.

My eyes roamed over her. She was so beautiful. The mountains outlined by the setting sun only seemed to accentuate her beauty.

“Sorry I intruded.” I shoved my hands in my coat pockets. I leaned my head back toward the house. “I’m going to head back inside, but if you need anything—”

“You’re not intruding.” She gave me a reassuring smile that didn’t look as forced as her last one.

I stood next to her and gazed out at the lake and mountains around us. “If you want to talk about it, I’m a really good listener.”

Last night she’d been willing to hear me talk about some of the things I’d gone through, and I wanted her to know I was here for her in the same way. She had never confided in me before, but seeing her out here crying alone flared a longing inside me, a hope she would open up to me.

There was a beat of silence, and then she took a big breath, releasing it before answering. “I guess I’m still struggling with everything that happened with my dad, with not finishing my MBA, with feeling like I ran away.” She blinked her eyes furiously as if it would keep the tears from coming. “That I’m a failure.” Her voice came out as soft as a whisper.

How could this incredible, strong, beautiful woman think she was a failure?

“Demi.” I reached out to take her hand. She looked down at our hands and then up at me. “You are not a failure.” I said each word firmly, as if somehow those words alone would make her understand she wasn’t failing at all. “You were brave to stick up to your dad, to fight for what you want for your future. No one can fault you for wanting to live your life the way you want to, not how your parents expect you to.”

“I don’t feel brave.” She looked down at her feet. “I feel lost. And maybe a little guilty.”

The disparity in her voice sent an ache through my chest. Using my free hand, I tilted her chin so she was looking up at me. “I’m sorry you feel that way. As an outsider, all I’ve seen is you succeeding at whatever you set out to do.”

She shook her head, and my hand fell back down to my side as she spoke. “I’ve just always done what my parents wanted. They had a clear path for me, and until now I’d stayed on that path. I was going to graduate with my MBA from Stanford, be a venture capitalist, work with my dad and brother, continue to have financial success, marry a guy like Aiden, and live happily ever after.” She looked back out over the water, biting her lip. “I feel like an ungrateful brat for not sticking to the plan my parents laid out for me, one they truly believed would be the best for me. They really do love me. They’ve given me every opportunity in life. I’ve wanted for nothing. I’ve traveled the world, I have a closet full of designer clothes, I drive a fancy car, I spend my weekends at charity events or the country club or at one of our vacation homes. But now that I’m on my own path…” She paused, and I could see the look of defeat from just her profile. She was not only disappointed in herself, but she was also second-guessing her choices. “I don’t know where I’m going.”

“You’re not giving yourself enough credit,” I said. “Just because you’re on your own new path for the first time at twenty-six years old, doesn’t mean that you aren’t working on a goal you’ve dreamed about for years. You’re going to hair school, you’re working and earning your own money, and one day you’ll eventually get to the point where you can open your own salon.”

Her eyes glistened in the fading sunlight. “I think you have too much faith in me.”

“Not possible.” I shook my head. “I have faith in you because I know you.”

“And that faith hasn’t lessened now that I’m crying like a baby?” Her chin quivered, and it was too much to stand by and watch.

I wrapped her in my arms, pulling her against me. She didn’t fight me, instead laying her head against my chest.

“You’re not a baby,” I said softly, rubbing her back in slow circles. “Yes, you’ve grown up extremely wealthy, but have you really been given every opportunity? Or just the opportunities your parents wanted for you? Have they ever asked what you want to do with your life?”

Her head shook against me. “No, but their plan was what was always expected.”

I loved Victor and Rose Vanderhall, but I’d watched as their expectations had taken a toll on their children. West had been put through the wringer, almost losing himself in the process of proving himself to his dad. But then Halle had come into his life and reached him in a way no one else ever had before. Now he was happier than ever, having found the right balance.

Going against their parents was hard for both of them. West had needed someone to help him stand up to his dad. But Demi had done it all on her own, and the pride I felt for her was immense. Did she really not know how strong she was?

“You wouldn’t have been living happily ever after if you had followed their plan, and intuitively you knew that. That’s why you started on your own path. Even though it was scary, you started going to hair school, you got a job, you stood up for yourself. You don’t need to feel any guilt for that. You should feel proud.” I paused and then added, “I know I’m proud of you.”

She leaned back slightly so she could look up at me, still wrapped in my arms and the blanket. “Really?” Her brown eyes looked at me with so much vulnerability and hope, like knowing I approved of what she was doing meant the world to her. And that meant the world to me.

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