Page 112 of Falling Overboard

“An adult who lives off the money his mom and dad give him,” I said, embarrassed. I was in love with a woman who had been helping to take care of her family since she was a teenager, and my parents paid for everything for me. It made me feel immature and useless. I’d never really cared about my parents financing my life until I met Lucky.

“Again, you don’t have to,” she said.

“It’s not like I’d be able to walk into a bank and get a loan. I don’t have an income. I’m not exactly a good risk. I don’t really have a choice. I have to stay.”

The saddest part was that I would give it all up for her, if she asked me to.

But I knew that she wouldn’t. She had a dream, too, one she was determined to bring to life. It was one of the things I loved most about her.

I was scared that if I told her how willing I would be to let it all go for her sake, she might respect me less. See me differently.

And I was still trying to be the man she deserved.

Harper would have told me that I was holding on too tight.

She would have been right. I had found something special and I didn’t want to lose it.

“I am sorry about lying to you,” I said. “It was part of the agreement. My parents didn’t want me to be treated differently or to get out of work because they owned the ship. I agreed not to tell anyone who I really was. Only the captain knew.”

“Then why is your family here? Coming to the boat and acknowledging you as their son isn’t exactly keeping things under wraps.”

“The entire season had already been scheduled when they bought the yacht. They didn’t intend to come out until that two-week cancellation happened.” I didn’t have a right to be aggravated by their sudden change of plans, but I was. They hadn’t even bothered to text and let me know first.

“And they gave half of that time to Rodney, who I’m guessing they know. It explains why he looked startled when you introduced yourself. Because he knew who you were.”

I nodded. “He’s a friend of the family. My parents understood how hard this time was for him. They offered to let him come here so that he wouldn’t sit home, alone.”

She seemed to be considering my words. I wished I knew what she was thinking.

“I’m sorry,” I said again. After a couple of minutes had passed, I asked, “What are you thinking?”

“You don’t know the whole story about my last relationship. When I found out about my ex and my best friend, he denied it for three hours straight. Said it never happened. That I was mentally unstable. I actually had to show him the picture she’d sent me of the two of them together. Without their clothing. Even then he stormed out, yelling at me for invading his privacy and trying to gaslight him and saying I didn’t respect his boundaries.”

That infuriated me. “That sounds like someone trying to manipulate you by using therapeutic concepts. I hope you didn’t listen.”

She waved her hand. “I know I didn’t do anything wrong and I’m past all of that. But I really hate being lied to.”

And what had I done? I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut. “And then I went and did just that. Another man who lied to you. I don’t know what else to say other than I’m sorry and I won’t do it again. I promise you.”

Another quiet, sad nod. I wanted to take her in my arms and hold her until she felt better. I hated myself for being the reason she was upset. “Do you feel like I betrayed you?”

“You didn’t actually do anything to me. And like you said, this doesn’t change who you are at your core. The man I know. If I’m being honest, I think part of me expected something like this to happen. Like I’ve been waiting for it.”

Another direct hit to the face. “I should have told you. It was a bad decision. The moment that I knew—” I couldn’t tell her that I loved her right now. It might make her wonder whether I’d said it because it was how I really felt or because I was trying to sway her. This was another situation where she needed to make up her own mind.

So I said, “I never want to be the reason that you’re hurting or upset.”

She twisted her mouth into a line, as if she were trying not to cry. I was going to have to sit on my hands so that I wouldn’t reach for her.

“You hiding your last name seems like a silly thing to get upset about,” she said, filling my heart with hope. “It’s hard to believe that all of this belongs to you.”

“Not to me, to my parents. I hope it doesn’t matter to you that I come from money.”

“I would say the whole thing is mind boggling, but I think my boggle ceiling was hit a while ago.” Her voice was a bit lighter. Would she be able to get past this? “But when it comes to your background, if anything, it makes me more insecure.”

“Why?” I was genuinely dumbfounded.

“You’re basically Prince Charming. The looks, the personality, the goodness, and now the castle and the wealth.”

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