Page 42 of Royal Shark
Her chin juts out. “That’s right. By my choice.”
“Relationships are a bad bet.”
She relaxes. “Yes! If you think the same way, then we can just enjoy each other.”
“I did think that way for a long time, but maybe I was just waiting for you.”
“Adrian,” she says in a choked voice, her eyes welling.
“We were close, and it killed me not to have you in my life. I always thought of you, always hoped you were okay. Why didn’t you keep in touch? Silvia and I both tried to connect with you.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, blinking tears away. “I couldn’t. You were all tied up with memories of my summers on Villroy with my parents, and I couldn’t go there. It would’ve left me heartbroken, and I needed to be strong to be there for Chloe.”
I kiss her. “Silvia suspected she and I were tied up with your Villroy memories.”
She strokes my hair. “Now that I’ve seen you both again, I regret letting so much time pass.”
I nuzzle her neck and breathe her in. “No regrets. We’ll make new memories now, here. More than one night. I can’t say goodbye to you so soon.”
“As long as you’re in town. You leave Friday, right?”
“Yes.” And I want to bring you back with me, I add silently. It’s Wednesday night, which means she’s granting me two more days. I need more time.
I can’t leave Villroy. They’re counting on me to make the casino a success and give our economy that final push it needs to be sustainable long term. For the first time in my life, my kingdom needs me, and I won’t let Villroy down. This is my legacy, and I want Sara to be part of it. I know she couldn’t handle Villroy memories when she was younger, but this Sara—as strong and capable as she is—can definitely handle it. She can visit her sister. Chloe doesn’t need her as much now that she’s an adult.
She smiles, looking relieved. “Okay, we have until Friday, and then we’ll keep in touch.”
It’s not enough.
“Okay?” she presses, practically begging me to go along. Obviously she needs more time.
“Okay.”
She cuddles up against me and sighs.
There’s no question in my mind that there is a future for us. I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for her. She’s not ready to hear that now. I need to choose my moment.
~ ~ ~
Sara
Adrian stayed two weeks more than he planned, and I’m okay with it. More than okay. He was right about us. It feels easy, like we picked up where we left off, not heavy like a relationship. He’s leaving tomorrow, and I’ll truly miss him. I hope he’ll visit regularly. Him being the boss and having access to a private jet makes that a real possibility. This is the kind of tie I can handle. There’re natural boundaries that keep it a casual thing.
It’s late afternoon on Thursday, and I have to get ready for tonight’s poker game. We’re going to be at this funky hotel in an artsy neighborhood across town. I arranged for a suite and ordered some food from a Jewish neighborhood—cheese blintzes and rugelach—and lots of fresh fruit. It’s important that I change things up so there’s always a nice surprise when the guys show up to the game.
Adrian is poking around my studio apartment. We’ve spent most of our time at his hotel or in the city. “YouandChloe lived here?”
I laugh. “I know it’s tiny, but we had a system. Everything worked out ahead of time, from sharing the bathroom to meals. She made breakfast, and I made dinner or brought home dinner from the diner. We shared the futon. It pulls out to a queen-size bed.”
He stares at the futon, which is looking kind of old, then looks at me. “It must be hard to be here by yourself after being so close to your sister.”
I’m shocked at his insight. “Yes. It’s been hard. I’ve never lived alone.” My throat tightens. “It’s like I lost the best part of me.”
He nods. “It was similar when Silvia and I separated to go to different universities. Twins have an extra close bond from sharing the womb. She went to Yale here in the US, and I went to Cambridge in England. We’d never been so far away from each other before. Of course, we kept in touch and visited, but it wasn’t the same. The twin bond is still there, but it stretched, you know, letting other people in between us. She has Cade now.”
I step closer, drawn by his openness. Most men don’t share like this with me. “You seem as close as ever to me.”
His hazel eyes are direct. “We’re close, it’s just different. Sort of like you and Chloe. She’s changing into the woman she’s meant to become and moving into the next part of her life.”
