Page 17 of The Billionaire's Kiss
Her hand closed around mine, holding it tightly. “I’m sure your world was torn apart.”
“For a while, it was.” I stared at her hand, wrapped around mine. I hadn’t ever told my story in such detail to anyone. I had told others that my parents had died in a fire, but I never revealed more than that.
“So, what happened after?”
“My oldest brother, Baldwyn, was old enough to take over as our guardian. He was nineteen and worked at a hotel. His boss gave us a place to live in. But it never felt right. To me, it always felt like I didn’t have a home anymore. And even though there were five of us living in that house, it felt empty.”
“I can imagine that it did.” She ran one finger over the back of my hand. “And I’m sure that your heart was shattered.”
“It’s never really healed,” I admitted for the first time to anyone other than myself.
“I doubt it ever will. At least, not entirely. You’ve suffered one of the most devastating losses anyone can live through. I think that only losing a child could come close to that of your mother or father. And you lost them both at the same time. But you’ve done well for yourself. It sounds like none of you let it define who you are.”
“Somehow, we moved on and up. Don’t ask me how because I don’t know how any of us did it. I mean, some of my brothers have struggled with some addiction issues. But none so great that they weren’t able to overcome them.”
“And you?” she asked knowingly. “What did you struggle with, Warner?”
Looking into her eyes, I didn’t know if I wanted her to know the truth. But the way she looked into my eyes, with no sign of judgment but only pure compassion, made me confess. “I’m afraid to fall in love.”
“Because you’re afraid of losing someone you love again?” Nodding, she seemed to understand completely. “It’s understandable. But the thing about loss is that it happens to us all. One day, our life ends, and those who loved us lose us. It’s part of life. Life is full of many things—love, happiness, promises of a fulfilling future—but also sadness, sorrow, hate, and the horror of losing the ones you love.”
“I know all of those things. And I know why I have the issues I do. But knowing hasn’t helped me overcome them.”
“Time, patience, and forgiving yourself will help.” She tapped her finger on top of my hand. “You hold tremendous guilt in your soul, Warner. You’ve got to let it go. Whatever you think that you did to cause that fire, or whatever was said between you and your mother or father before their deaths, none of that was to blame. It wasn’t your fault. And your parents died knowing that you loved them. And they died loving you and your brothers.”
My God, how can she know that I felt guilty over having left the house that morning without telling either of my parents that I loved them?
It felt as if my heart was swelling inside my chest. I’d never felt that before. It was odd and sort of uncomfortable. But it also felt as if it was growing, and that could only be good. “You’re wise beyond your years, Ms. Quinn.”
“I’m a bartender. I’ve heard enough stories to fill many lifetimes. When you’ve heard all the things that I have, you begin to find that you’ve gained this library of knowledge about life and what goes along with it.”
“It’s a gift.”You’re a gift.“I’m glad you’ve shared it with me.”
“I’m glad that you allowed me to share it with you. You could’ve held all that inside. I feel privileged that you put your trust in me.”
I didn’t know who couldn’t find trust in her kind eyes and open heart. “You’re such a rare gem, Orla Quinn.”
Ducking her head, her cheeks went pink as she blushed. “Thank you for the compliment.”
Her hand began moving away from mine, and I quickly reached out to stop it, taking it in mine this time, my thumb grazing her knuckles. “No reason for you to be embarrassed, Orla. It’s not merely a compliment if it’s true.”
Looking back at me, she said, “You’re the first person who’s ever told me something like that. I’m not accustomed to hearing such nice things about myself. Perhaps you bring something out in me that others never have.”
“Iknowyou bring things out in me that others never have.” I liked that about her, too. I liked everything about her. So far.
No one was perfect, of that I was certain. Would Orla’s imperfections be minor compared to me?
And what did that even matter, since we couldn’t have a real relationship?
The knowledge that whatever this was could only last a week made my gut swirl. When the food arrived, I tried not to think about Orla leaving. “There’s blueberry, strawberry, cinnamon-honey, the standard maple, and lemon syrups. Which will you try first?” I held out the bottle of lemon syrup. “Might I suggest you try this? It’s different from anything I’ve ever tasted before. At least on a waffle.”
Taking the bottle away from me, she put a dab onto the edge of the waffle, then cut it off and took a bite. “So tangy.” The way she nodded told me that she liked it.
I trailed a long line of blueberry syrup along one side of my waffle. “This is my favorite. I always begin and end with the blueberry.”
“I love blueberry scones.” She took the bottle and put some of the syrup on the next bite. Her face lit up when she tasted it. “Yum!”
“Maybe I should buy a bottle of this stuff to take home.” It might be fun to add some sweetness to the sex I prayed we’d have in the very near future.
