Page 86 of The Grumpy Billionaire
Oh God. Who did I think I was kidding? I loved this guy. I wasnevergoing to get over him.
If he loved me, too—which I sincerely hoped he didn’t but was afraid he did—I was going to open myself up to a world of pain. I would fall for him even harder than before. Because he was even more impossible to resist.
I couldn’t stop it. It was going to happen.
I hated this.
As I sat through the rest of the movie, I simultaneously anticipated and dreaded Buttercup and Westley’s romantic reunion. When Buttercup learned that Westley was still alive and still loved her, she would make the vow I could no longer live up to in my own life… “I will never doubt again.”
I did not recite it with the movie’s heroine.
Ididgo home with Reid to his mansion afterward though.
“I can go in a little late tomorrow,” he said as he unlocked the door for us and led me straight upstairs to his bedroom.
He spent the night making me feel like that on-screen princess, worshipped and adored. And as I loved him back with my body, how I wished Icouldlive that fairy tale.
But this was real life. I’d already seen how happily-ever-after ended, and it wasn’t pretty.
Reid and I were only at the reunion scene in our own story, and no one could predict—for sure—that there would be a happy ending for us.
THIRTY
Reality Calling
Mara
I spent Thursday and Friday nights with Reid as well—he admitted he did need to make up for some lost time at work during the daylight hours.
On those days, I went in to work at the station though Rob had told me to take the week off from my regular reporting duties—probably out of guilt.
I needed to stay busy. I couldn’t stand being alone at home, worrying about how Mom was doing, worrying about the boys, and repeatedly going back and forth in my arguments with myself over Reid.
On one hand, I was in paradise. We still clicked on every level. I could talk to him like no one else. He got my sense of humor, and I got his.
He challenged my thinking. He made me feel beautiful. All the years I’d spent away from him seemed to melt away in his presence.
And then of course, there was the mad chemistry and unbelievable sex. I was happy. I could tell he was happy too.
On the other hand, no matter where we were or what we were doing, a little voice inside my head whispered on a continuous loop, “It can’t last. Even though it’s perfect right now, it can’t last. Nothing ever does.”
All the while we were laughing together or walking hand in hand or making love, something inside of me held back, struggling to keep from slipping over the edge into the abyss of “all in.”
My ringtone woke me on Saturday morning. I sat up in Reid’s bed, looking around the main bedroom of his condo, blinking in the late morning sunshine.
He lay beside me, still sleeping—after all his hard work last night he deserved it. His gorgeous body was sprawled across the pillow-top king mattress, the twisted white sheet barely covering his body and leaving his yummy abs (I’d tasted them last night to make sure) exposed.
Fighting the urge to run my hand over them, I slid out of bed and searched for my bag. I wanted to find the phone and silence it before it woke him. I grabbed the purse and dashed for the hallway.
By the time I dug it out, the phone had stopped ringing. The screen showed a missed call from Kenley.
I immediately hit the call-back button. I hadn’t heard from her in weeks, and like Heidi, I’d started to worry. We usually spoke at least once a week. She hadn’t returned any of my calls or texts.
“Come on, girlfriend, pick up.” I opened the door and stepped outside onto the deck just as she answered.
“Hello? Mara?”
“Kenley! How are you babe? I’m so glad to hear from you. I’ve been calling.”
