Page 75 of The Grumpy Billionaire
It was such a familiar gesture, especially here in this place. He didn’t seem like a high-powered CEO or a billionaire tonight. He seemed likemyReid, the boy I’d turned to when the class mean girl had tormented me, when the stress of SAT prep had been too much, when my mom had driven me crazy.
He was the one I’d always trusted to be on my side, no matter what.
I relaxed and leaned into him, laying my head on his chest, breathing in his wonderful scent, allowing myself to be comforted.
“My mother told me Evelyn was going away for a week, but I thought she meant on vacation,” Reid said. “That’s why Mom decided to go visit her sister in Arizona this week. Where’s the clinic? Is it local?” he asked.
As he held me and stroked my hair, I told him a little of what the doctor had said, told him about the facility, about how hard it had been to drive away this afternoon and leave my mom with strangers. I also told him my fears about what would happen when she got home.
And what I feared would happen if she didn't come home, if she needed longer term care.
I wasn’t ready to be a mom—especially to two teenage boys who needed someone who actually knew what she was doing instead of clueless big sister as a stand-in.
Reid’s free hand tunneled under my hair and found the nape of my neck, massaging out knots I’d just now realized were there.
“Poor girl. You’ve been dealing with a lot. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how bad it was with your mom. My mom said Evelyn was ‘sowing some wild oats,’ but I didn’t realize she was struggling. I would’ve tried to help.”
I sniffed. “What could you have done? I didn’t even realize something needed to be done until recently. I thought she was just going through some kind of mid-life crisis thing, and it would sort of harmlessly play itself out.”
“Well, I would have wanted to help.”
Tears slipped from my eyes in a fresh stream as I started admitting the full scope of my misery.
"I should have been here, Reid. I abandoned my family. I went off and did my own thing, and everything here just fell apart.”
He dipped his head down to see my face. “You were a kid living your life—you’re supposed to go out and do your own thing. Don’t feel guilty about that, Mara. Holding your family together was your parents’ job, not yours.”
“But I should have been braver,” I said. “I should have stood my ground. I should have fought for what I knew was right instead of running away and hiding.”
Reid’s hand stilled on my neck. He shifted and leaned away just enough that he could look at me eye-to-eye.
“Running away? From what?”
Oh crap. This was bad. I was a vulnerable mess tonight. My emotions were broken open and leaking everywhere. Reid shouldn’t be here to see this.
And he really shouldn’t ask me any questions, because in this state, there was a chance I would answer them. I had to change the subject.
“Why are you here? Why did you say you don’t care what Rainy thinks? Is that how it is for the women in your life—you just do whatever you want, and they have to put up with it?”
He gave me a rueful smile. “Pretty much.”
“Don’t you… love her?”
He stared at me a few seconds before answering. His voice was hard. “I’ve already told you—I don’t believe in love. Infatuation? Sure. I had that with Rainy once, but it wore off pretty quickly. It always does.”
He hesitated before continuing. I could see the decision-making process going on behind his eyes.
“We’re not together anymore. Rainy and I broke up a few months ago. She’s been bugging me to get together and talk things over. I called her today and offered to take her to dinner, so we could talk.”
“But youdidn’ttalk. You followed me outside.” A terrible suspicion crept up on me. “And you brought her to Café Nuovo. You knew I’d be there with Bruce.”
A guilty grin developed on Reid’s face. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. One hand went to the back of his neck, rubbing as if he’d slept on it funny.
“Yeah. I guess I… I wanted to see for myself.”
“See what?”
“If what my investigator said was true—I wanted to see the kind of guy you’re dating now.”
