Page 93 of Love to Hate You

He pulled her into his body, until she was on top of him like a comforter. “What if it was a loan and you paid me back after the event?”

“Wes, I like you and I don’t want to confuse that with money. I already have a relationship that is strained over money.”

“Autumn?”

She opened her mouth in a perfect O of surprise. “How did you know?”

“I accidently overheard your dad taking to Autumn that she had to come clean and then pay you back the loan. Come clean on what, and how much did you lend her?”

“I told her she had to tell Randy about the loan and her finances before they moved in together or I would. Then I gave her an extension on paying me back.” Summer studied his chest and played with the light dusting of hair there. “I lent her ten grand from my wedding fund.”

He chuckled. “Of course you have a wedding fund.”

“Why do you say it like it’s a bad thing? I didn’t want my parents to have to pay a cent for my wedding, and I’d never ask my fiancé to pay for what the bride should pay for, so I started my own fund when I was eleven, which I can borrow from for the signing. I just hate taking more money out of it.”

“I mean it in the best way possible. I love that you’re a romantic and how you view the world. I love that you knew what you wanted at such a young age and made steps toward achieving it. But I hate that Autumn put you in this situation and that you have to borrow against one dream to make another come true.”

“Well, if your predictions are accurate, I can pay back my fund in a single day. Anything else I should be aware of?”

“There is a cancelation clause, which allows the author to cancel the signing within seventy-two hours.”

“She can stand me up?”

“Yes. But it’s more like if she’s ill or an emergency comes up. It goes both ways; you can cancel too. I’ve seen the clause on many contracts that go through my company.”

“Thanks for making me feel better. Now that I’ve spilled my guts, how did your meeting go?”

“Terrible. I can’t change the date because it’s already been advertised.”

“The sneaky bastards.”

“Exactly. Which is why I hired a third crew to get it done. It’ll be tight but it will get finished.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist, and it was as if luck had finally turned his way. He wanted more of this. Not the sex, although he could make love to her forever and still want more; he wanted the vulnerable moments where they were sharing their struggles and successes. He’d never had that.

“Can you fire them?”

“I wish, but no.” That got him thinking about what he’d said to Summer about the upfront money being worth it in the long run. “But I can threaten to buy out each and every wanker who waited for me to be distracted to hold an emergency meeting to vote on the early opening.”

“Can’t you sue them for potentially costing the business millions?”

He gave her a big smack on the lips. “I can and I will. Tomorrow morning, first thing. I just need to get my brother there.”

“Promise you won’t tell Randy about Autumn. Give her a chance to tell him.”

“It’s her story to tell. Plus, I don’t want our families or businesses to come between us.”

“Really?” Her excitement was like sweet music to his ears.

“Really.” Then he rolled her over and pinned her to the bed. “You think we can break this bed?”

“Do I hear a wager coming on?”

Chapter 27

bad guys closing in

“Good morning, gentleman,” Wes said, stalking into the room, the inner lair of BookLand, like he owned the place—and he did. Today would determine if that were still the case. He was dressed to intimidate in a navy blue Armani suit with matching vest over his crisp French blue shirt, polished off with a power tie and cufflinks that cost as much as most people’s weddings. It was a suit that was tailor-made specifically for a moment like this.

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