Page 45 of Secret Admirer
Her face turned red and she avoided his gaze. “Yes. She was right there.”
The driver opened the rear passenger side. "Your bags are in the trunk, sir."
She hopped into the air-conditioned vehicle, and he followed. “Why did she look upset?”
Rebecca turned toward him, her expression unreadable as she shrugged. “I don’t know.”
He pressed his lips together. This probably wasn’t good. She swallowed and nervously plucked at the zipper on her purse. “Did you say anything to upset her?”
She shook her head and her face drained of color. Then she averted her gaze and said, “No. We talked about the color of my hair for like thirty seconds.”
“I see.” Yet, he'd clearly upset her. “I’ll assume she’s upset about that necklace and more sentimental than I thought.”
“I guess.”
Once they were at their new house, they wouldn't see Nadia or anyone they didn’t invite into their lives unless they wanted to. This was a temporary unpleasantness--though her behavior made him wonder if she was ready to be in his life. Her usual thick skin would be a necessary accessory in his world.
Maybe it wasn’t fair of him to bring her home, as Rebecca’s vulnerability was also becoming more obvious. If Nadia had been evil, she could have stolen Rebecca’s confidence, and manipulators were always trying to get closer to him for his money.
Rebecca wasn’t someone he wanted to let go of either. Bart held his tongue. She'd said she loved him, and while he didn’t believe in love, he knew jealousy existed. His mother had been queen of pretending she wasn’t jealous over his father's actions--his father hadn't been deserving of her love and loyalty, which is why Bart didn't want it in his life.
They were both better off without love.
As the limo pulled into Starr Island and they passed Peter’s house, his father’s old house, he wanted to explain to Rebecca about how Mitch had ruined his mother with lies of love and false promises that rolled off his tongue like honey.
He didn't do those things. His skin buzzed, but he took her hand and led her in the front door. “So this is our new place.”
She stared up at the three-story main room and the chandelier as he flipped on the lights. Her heels clicked on the tile and she turned around. “I’ve never lived in a place so big. What happens when you get lost?”
He laughed and pointed to the back that overlooked the ocean, where he’d first kissed her. “You won’t get lost. It’s only eighteen bedrooms.”
They made their way to the sitting room and she touched the mantel on the fireplace that was mostly for show. “Right, because we’ll have eighteen children?”
He headed upstairs to the bedroom they’d already chosen and went to find his laptop. He’d need it to work later as he said, “Or we might host a party where we want to ensure our guests are taken care of.”
She followed and then started sorting through the House of Morgan bags that had been delivered earlier. If they were to travel together, she would need luggage. “Is that why rich people own fancy homes?”
Hmm. He sat at the desk before the window and opened his laptop to check on Will, and make sure that his newest inventor had what he needed. “Yes and no. It’s not because we need a lot of children. I don’t wantanymyself.”
She stopped with the bags, turning to look at him with concern “You don’t want children?”
Did she want children? The idea of little ones taking over his life didn’t appeal to him. She just stared at him like he’d killed her puppy. Defensive, he drummed his fingers along the desk. “I’m sure there are already enough Morgans with children coming these days. Gio can have all the kids he wants with his wife.”
She touched the neckline of her shirt and again seemed… off. “You don’t want to be a dad?”
He stood and closed the laptop. “No. I’m entirely too selfish to be a good father.”
At that, she walked over to him and kissed his cheek. “You’re not selfish. You’re the complete opposite.”
Warmth grew from inside his soul and he breathed deeper. She was sweet. “I enjoy your faith in me.”
She cupped his face. “It’s clear for the world to see….” Reality interrupted where this might have gone with a ring. He stepped out of her embrace and she asked, “Who is calling?”
He read the screen. “Will… the inventor I hired. One moment. I need to find him a good office assistant that handles paperwork.”
“Destiny is a paralegal if that’s what you’re looking for, and she was looking for a new job.” With a nod, she patted her stomach like she’d hunt down food and walked out of the bedroom. He swept his phone off the desk to answer, accidentally knocking her purse from the corner to the large area rug.
"Will!"
