Page 58 of Believe it or Knot

As of right now, I’m operating under the assumption that they’ll tire of me shortly. When that happens, the fewer ties I have to them, the better. I already have one loan payment that I’ll be making to them. I don’t need another monthly reminder of the pack that decided they didn’t want to keep me.

“Thank you,” I breathe out at the same time that he smirks and says, “For now.”

My mouth drops open. “No! No, for now. For always, until I pay it off on my own,” I say, putting my foot down. “I don’t want our relationship to be you giving and giving and giving and me taking and taking and taking. You’ll grow to resent it at some point. Resent me, and I hate the idea of that so fucking much.”

His smirk melts and his expression softens. “Sweet thing. So fucking sweet. The amount of money we have spent on you is… nominal. A drop in the proverbial bucket. We’re billionaires, Sorrel. Literal billionaires. Liam doesn’t have to act, he does it because he wants to. I could step down from my company today and we still wouldn’t run out of money in fifty years, even if we bought expensive guitars for pretty betas every day of those fifty years.” I jerk at his revelation, my eyes growing wider. A part of me can’t help but resent that the amount of money that could be life changing for someone like me is pocket change to the Cordova pack.

Yet another reason this will never actually work.

Our socio-economic differences are… frightening.

Something in my face must give away my thoughts because he sighs and brushes a kiss to the tip of my nose. “My only point is that we enjoy showering you with gifts.” He pulls back to meet my eyes. “And if I’m honest, there’s a selfish reason for us sending you all those clothes.”

I tense as nerves tangle in my stomach. His fingers tighten on my neck the slightest bit, not letting me retreat. In response, I paste my familiar pleasant smile onto my face and pretend like I’m not dying. “What’s that?”

He takes a moment to answer, his gray eyes running over my face, reading me in a way that most people don’t. Another kiss to my nose. “We’re still hoping we can convince you to come to the city with us for a while. A week maybe. Liam thought you might be more comfortable being seen with us if you looked the part.”

Another hit of nerves in my stomach followed swiftly by disappointment so heavy it feels like it might crush me. I glance down at my cut-off shorts and my ratty t-shirt. Strands of my frizzy wavy hair are damp with sweat around my face. I didn’t bother with makeup this morning. I hardly remembered to smear on SPF before I climbed on my bike to come here.

Gray inhales, and his expression becomes tense. “I’ve said something that upset you, didn’t I?”

I don’t know how he can tell. My smile is still firmly in place, so I shake my head. “No, no. Not at all.”

“Sorrel,” he chides. “I can smell that you’re upset. Now tell me what I said that upset you.”

I look down at my clothes again. “It’s nothing, hardly worth mentioning.”

His nose wrinkles. “It’s getting worse, sweet thing. Tell me.”

My converse scuffs against the genuine hardwood floor, and I don’t meet his eyes. “It’s nothing. Only… you make it sound like… I’m not… like you wouldn’t…” I can’t finish the thought. It’s too embarrassing because it’s true.

Gray’s eyebrows jump and understanding flickers over his face. “Oh, sweet thing, no. We’d happily take you in cut-off shorts and t-shirts, anywhere you want to go. We don’t find you lacking in any way. But the truth of the matter is that we’re public figures and are extremely recognizable. Liam can’t go anywhere without being approached by fans or paparazzi. We don’t care what you wear, we only thought, under those circumstances you might feel more comfortable if you had some higher end clothing items.”

I try not to frown, but don’t manage it. “I have other clothes besides t-shirts and jean shorts. You just haven’t seen me in any of them because… I always see you after I’ve been working. A sundress isn’t fantastic for flipping burgers in.”

He leans down and kisses my nose again. “Perfect, sweet thing. Pack all your sundresses and anything else you might want and come to the city with us. Please.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to say no. I have a business to run, and I’m the only one who knows how to do that. The space is so small that there hasn’t been a need for more employees than me, Annie, and Jeremy. I can’t leave my parent’s pride and joy in the hands of two high school seniors. They would literally never forgive me.

But then, Annie and Jeremy could handle shorter hours. Maybe just have The Shack open for the afternoon, and they could close at like six. I don’t need the money so much anymore. The new loan with Grayson’s company is much more favorable, and manageable. I don’t feel like I’m drowning under a deluge of bills and late payment notifications.

Just today I paid off my meat supplier and I swear she nearly cried from happiness. I did too.

“If it’s a matter of needing to keep the restaurant open, I’ll happily buy every burger you sell for a week.”

This time, I let my displeasure show. “You really need to stop doing that!”

He grins and runs his palms down my arms until he’s clasping my wrists. “What’s that, sweet thing?”

“Throwing money at my problems! I’m a fully grown adult woman, Gray. I’m more than capable of managing my finances and my business. I’ve been doing it for years before I met you. I’ll be doing it for years after-”

I cut off at the low growl that erupts from his chest. I don’t think I’ve heard that sound from him.

Gage, Rafe and even Liam have all growled at me, but Gray seems to have an immovable grip on his alpha instincts. He never reacts without thinking. In the same way, Gage never talks without thinking.

“Oh, don’t stop, my sweet little beta. Please continue with what you’re saying,” he grumbles. “You’ll be doing it for years after…”

There’s no point in hiding it. We both know what I was going to say. Sighing, I focus on the fabric of his shirt, not his eyes as I mutter, “for years after you lose interest in me and all this ends.”