Page 84 of The Grumpy Billionaire
We were early for our reservation, so we crossed the Inn’s gorgeous sloping lawn to two white-washed Adirondack chairs that had been placed side by side. Many other sets of chairs had been arranged on the lawn, all positioned to face the sun setting over the water.
“Wow. It’s beautiful.” I turned to see Reid’s face fully engaged in that heart-melting smile of his. “The bridge looks so pretty from here.”
“I owed you a sunset,” he said, lifting a hand to the view.
We sat down together as a cocktail waiter appeared and took our drink orders. The evening was warm for October, but I was still glad to have brought the sweater wrapped around my shoulders.
Everything about this setting was chill bump-inducing. The lights of the Eastport Bay Bridge twinkled on the horizon and doubled themselves, reflecting in the rippling waters below.
A virtual parade of sailboats drifted past our vantage point, heading for the harbor, so close to shore we could see the faces of the people aboard.
I leaned back in my chair, taking in the beauty of it all, enjoying the crisp, pink Rosé Reid had ordered for us. He reached over and lay his hand palm-up on the wide armrest of my chair.
Without a thought, I placed my hand in his, and his fingers closed over mine. It would be so easy to let the rest of my life entwine with his like this, to let him cover and envelope me, just the way I’d planned long ago.
“Mara?”
I turned away from the pinkish-purple sky to look at his face. He was absolutely stunning in the last of the day’s light.
“You’re really quiet. Thinking about your Mom?”
“Yes,” I lied, happy he couldn’t read my mind.
“Everything’s going to work itself out, you know.”
“You’re quite the optimist, all of a sudden,” I teased.
“I have to admit I’m finding a hidden reservoir of positive feelings I didn’t know were still in there.”
He looked down at our joined hands and rubbed a thumb lightly over my fingers. I got the distinct impression he’d been waiting for an opening to tell me what was on his mind.
“A few weeks ago, I could see my whole life stretched out ahead of me, and it all seemed just kind of… long, you know?” he said. “I was driving myself so hard, but I didn’t really know what the end goal was. I wasn’t really looking forward to anything. I didn’t really care about anyone. Now… it all feels kind of… new. Like this—”
He lifted a hand toward the gorgeous view. “This is the best fucking sunset I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Itispretty good.” I laughed, and he joined me.
The light in his eyes when he looked at me revealed everything I didn’t want to know—Reid was ready to pick up where we’d left off eleven years ago.
Somehow, after I’d run away, refused to talk to him, acted like I’d never loved him, he was ready to take a risk on me again. How did he do it?
I turned back to the view, saying nothing, afraid of what might come out if I did. I was all made-up and hair-styled and carefully dressed on the outside, but inside I was a mess.
My silence didn’t stop Reid. Now that he’d decided to talk, he was on a roll, and his earnest tone of voice was making me all kinds of freaked out.
“Last night was amazing, Mara. I haven’t been able to think of anything else all day. I was useless at work.”
He laughed and went back to caressing my fingers, sending sparks of pleasure shooting up my arm. “I think the reason I couldn’t get excited about the future before… was becauseyouweren’t around.”
Ohgodohgodohgod. Where was he going with this? It waswaytoo close to that fortune I’d thrown to the wind a few nights ago.
Could I just get up and run away? No. I’d look insane, and these heels were too high for running. I stared at him as he swallowed and continued in that scary-sincere tone.
“Everything’s changed for me in the past few days. I feel like I’m… alive again. And I don’t want that to end after this week. You probably already know this, but just in case it’s not obvious, I still—”
“Your table is ready, Mr. Mancini.” A suit-clad maître d’ stood beside Reid’s chair, beaming down at us with his best serving-the-billionaire smile.
I sprang out of my chair as if it had become suddenly white-hot. “Yes, thank you.”
