Page 41 of The Marriage Pact
“It’s fine… It’s nothing,” Alex lied.
He didn’t want to burden her with his problems. They weren’t hers to solve. It wasn’t fair to lay them on her. Alex had always solved his own problems.
Kaitlyn raised her eyebrows. “You’d tell me, wouldn’t you? If there was a problem.”
Alex felt torn. Had he been on his own, he’d have gone straight to the office and dealt with what was necessary, but to leave now would mean disappointing Kaitlyn. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She was obviously excited about the wedding, about organizing things together and making plans.
“It’s the Jamaica deal. The Mexican investors pulled out. We’ll have to find new investors. It’s not going to be easy,” he said.
“Do you need to go and deal with it? Was that Hilary on the phone?” she asked.
“It’s fine. It’ll be all right. I don’t need… well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to be there in person. Hilary’s organizing a meeting for tomorrow. We’ll try to get local investment involved. I’m sure something can be done.”
Whether she meant to or not, Kaitlyn’s face displayed its obvious disappointment. “All right. You’d better go,” she said.
Alex sighed. “Look, I don’t need to go. It’s not important.” Another lie.
Kaitlyn gave him a look. She could see right through him; that much was obvious. “You need to go. I can see that. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Work comes first.”
Her words cut through Alex like a knife. It was as much about what shedidn’tsay, too. He didn’t want to feel angry with her. It was the frustration over the investors that was really making him angry. But the way she said it, it was as though he was making a choice. It had been a long day. Alex was tired, but he knew he had to keep going. His frustration was boiling over.
“I’m doing it for you, you know. All of it. This is for you,” he said.
Kaitlyn looked at him in surprise. “I didn’t ask for it,” she replied. “I don’t want any of it. I fell in love with you long before you were Alex Lancaster of Lancaster Holdings, New York. Do you think it matters to me?”
Alex was taken aback. He’d built the business from nothing by working long, hard, unforgiving hours. It meant everything to him, and now he wanted her to share it, to share the fruits of his labor.
“Doesn’t it? Because it matters tome!” he retorted.
He hadn’t meant to raise his voice, to be angry. They’d never argued.
Kaitlyn looked upset. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant… What’s the point of working if you don’t live your life?” she said.
The words hit home. Was that really what she thought? Alex didn’t have an answer for it. It upset him. He didn’t know why. She was right. But to say it to his face…
“I’m going to the office. I don’t know when I’ll be back. Don’t wait up,” he said, and, turning on his heels, he marched toward the elevator.
“That’s always the way, isn’t it? Hide behind work. It was the same before,” Kaitlyn called out.
There was a quiver in her voice, an obvious emotion.
Alex turned. There were tears in her eyes. “I have to sort this. I have to,” he said, pressing the button and stepping into the elevator.
CHAPTER 16
KAITLYN
As the elevator doors closed, Kaitlyn burst into tears. She hadn’t wanted to argue with him, but what she’d said had been simmering beneath the surface, the pot waiting to boil over. She knew how much the Jamaica deal meant to him and how much the business meant to him, but there were times when she wished he’d put her first. The money, the gifts, the expensive outings. It was all very well, but if he couldn’t give her his time, what was the point? It was starting to feel like history was repeating itself. Brushing a tear from her cheek, Kaitlyn returned to the living room and slumped down on the couch. Picking up the tablet, she closed the tabs with the wedding venues’ websites open and tossed it to one side. What was the point in looking at all that, anyway?
What were we thinking? It’s an impossibility. It was never going to work.
Coming to New York had seemed like an adventure at first. Kaitlyn had tried her best to fit in, and she could’ve put up with the nonsense at the collective and the superficiality of so much she’d encountered if only Alex had been willing to giveher his time. Why did it have to be so difficult? She thought about phoning Rachel but resisted. It would be the “you were right all along” call. Kaitlyn didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her, though she was feeling sorry for herself. They’d never argued like this before, except on the debate team, but that was different. This argument had been real. Kaitlyn had said what she thought, and Alex had said what he thought. It hadn’t been easy to hear.
So what am I supposed to do now? Call it off? He didn’t exactly seem enthusiastic about the prospect of getting married. Did he even truly mean for us to?”
Doubts were creeping in. She thought about that thing he’d said in the car on the way home from the business reception, about being on show and what others would think. Was that all she was to him? Having a fiancée, getting married, and being a family man were all respectable things. It surely counted for something in the business world. Kaitlyn felt the tears welling up again.
And now that the deal’s off, he doesn’t need me anymore.
