Page 30 of The Fake Fiance's Billionaire Adversary
Chuckling, she nodded, and then her stomach did the same thing. That made her laugh a little harder. “I guess we were both hungry.”
“Seems so.”
A waitress stopped at their table, and they ordered their drinks and a fried pickle appetizer.
Once the waitress was gone, Hunter angled himself toward her. “I’m bothered that you don’t have reservations for Christmas. I know you may not believe it, but I do want you to be successful.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Yeah, I didn’t realize how tight things were for my mom and dad. I thought I could come in and make a few changes and that would fix it. Nothing I tried worked. Then the hurricane tore through the island. It was one thing after another.”
Hunter understood that better than she knew. “That sounds like my first flip. It turned out okay, but it was discouraging for the first few weeks. We went from needing a few upgrades to needing new electrical lines run. The roof had warped boards, so that increased the cost. Then, we were robbed, and our tools were taken. At that point, I was ready to give up.”
“I can’t see you ever wanting to give up.”
The tips of his ears warmed from the compliment. At least, that’s how he took it. “I did. That first year was so hard. I was on my own for the first time. I felt like I was competing against my siblings.”
She nodded. “I know that feeling too. My sister always does things perfectly. I’m the oldest, you’d think I’d have my ducks in a row, but I’ve come to realize I don’t have ducks. I have squirrels with issues.”
Hunter belly laughed. “I’m sorry. That’s not funny. I promise.”
Reagan pouted. “Laughing at me.”
The waitress returned to the table with their drinks and offered to give them more time to look over the menu.
When the waitress was out of earshot, Hunter scooted closer, wrapped a lock of Reagan’s hair around his finger, and smiled. “I’m not laughing at you. When I look at you, I see a woman I respect and admire.”
“Really? Because I always feel like a failure.”
“Failure is giving up. Youare nota failure.”
She lowered her gaze and slowly nodded. “I just wish I didn’t feel that way all the time. I love my family, but just once I wanted to hear that I’d done something right. I could cook the entire night, have people fawning over my dishes, and all they could hear was the one person who felt their chicken was too dry.”
His parents had never done that. Not even the Fredericks had done that. To have lived with that pressure and still have such drive to succeed was impressive. “I can’t imagine living under that scrutiny. No one is perfect, and dwelling on what isn’t doesn’t inspire perfection.” He tipped her chin up with his finger. “Reagan, I know my opinion might not carry much weight, but you are talented, kind, and warm. You are perfectly imperfect. I like you just as you are.”
Her bottom lip trembled. “That’s nice of you say.”
“It’s what I consider a nice fact.” He smiled and touched his lips to hers.
When he pulled back, her eyes locked with his, and even in the dim lighting, he could see she was struggling with what he’d said. His hope was that he’d get the chance to show her how wrong her parents were.
Before she could say anything, the waitress returned with their appetizer. By the time their meals arrived, the sadness he’d felt pouring off her had eased, and she laughed a little more.
Earlier in the day, he’d booked a last-minute adventure for her. His hope was that it would cheer her up so their night could end on a positive note. He hated that she’d been hurt by the very people who were supposed to build her up.
Once they’d finished dinner and were outside, he turned to her. “Close your eyes, okay?”
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
A pained expression crossed her features as her lips turned down. She palmed his chest and sighed. “I’ve been trying to figure out all night long how to tell you something. I just…I just didn’t know how to tell you without you getting upset.”
His eyebrows knitted together. “Tell me what?”
“On the trip to Amarillo for Black Friday, they were all talking, and then your mom turned to me and said that you’d won the lottery.” She stepped into him. “I didn’t know what to do or what to say. I’m supposed to be pretending to be your fiancée, and she said that since I was, she knew you would have told me.”
Hunter stepped back, his ears buzzing as his heart dropped to his shoes. Why would his mom even bring up the lottery? It wasn’t something they really talked about anymore. At first, yeah, that’s all they’d talked about because it was suck a shock, but anymore? It was a non-subject. He worked hard to keep his money a secret.
“Hunter, I promise I had no idea. I felt trapped and acted like I already knew. I’ve been agonizing over it all night. Knowing doesn’t change anything for me, and I’m sure you kept it to yourself for some reason. When you asked if I trusted you, I just couldn’t keep it in any longer. Because I do trust you.”
