Page 53 of One Night in Hawaii

“Damn,” he said. “That’s a lot of pressure.”

“No shit.”

“When you go home, what happens?” he asked.

“I’ll meet with my dad and the lawyers.”

“Will you see her?”

“Not if I don’t have to,” I replied. “I don’t want to.”

“Where does Shiloh stand in all of this?”

I appreciated the fact he was looking out for her. “I don’t know. My goal is to extract myself from the marriage contracts.”

“You make it sound like you can’t just say no,” he said.

“It’s tricky. My dad has implied I stand to lose a lot more than just ten million.”

“What if you stand to lose your entire fortune?” he asked. “Does that mean you’re going to marry the woman to avoid losing?”

“I don’t want to.”

“But you’re not saying you won’t,” he said with an edge to his voice.

“I’m saying I have to go home and figure this situation out,” I said. “If Ashley does get a controlling stake in my company, that shifts the dynamics. It’s not just my personal fortune at stake. There are people in my company that are not going to be happy to have her sitting at the table. She could be a tiebreaking vote that has some serious repercussions. And I don’t want that to happen.”

The thought of Ashley having any control over my business made my blood boil. I’d worked too hard to let her take it all away from me. But at the same time, I couldn’t deny that the idea of marrying her was tempting. It would solve all of my problems, at least for now. But what about the long term? Could I really spend the rest of my life with someone like her?

“If you’re going to marry her, you need to be straight with Shiloh,” he said. “Don’t lead her on.”

“My goal is to get back here to her,” I told him.

“And then what?” he asked. “One of her concerns is geography with the two of you. You’re in New York and she’s here. You cannot take Shiloh away from here. This is where she gets her strength. She loves the ocean. I know you have your own ocean, but it’s not the same.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m not sure what the future holds. I can’t even think about the future until I figure out what’s happening in the present.”

He nodded slowly. “I get it.”

“You want to tell me what’s going on with you and Penelope?”

“Nope. That’s her business.”

“I hope you understand she’s in a similar situation to mine,” I warned him. “My parents can be pretty aggressive. They’ve approved of the match and are all for it, even if the guy’s family is on the verge of being broke.”

“I’m just a guy trying to live his life,” he said. “I’m not putting any expectations on anyone. I’m all about living in the moment. Right now, that moment includes Penelope and I’m pretty cool with that. She’s an amazing woman. I’m bummed you guys are leaving, but I make no demands on her. She has to make her own choices. I want her to do whatever makes her happy.”

“Cool,” I said. “Good. I just wanted to make sure you understood that no matter how much she might like you and how happy she is with you, it would be very difficult for her to walk away from her life back home.”

“I get it,” he said, shrugging. “No pressure.”

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. He seemed so carefree and unburdened, living in the moment without a care in the world. Meanwhile, I was struggling with the weight of my own thoughts and emotions, torn between my desire for Shiloh and the reality of our situation. The more I thought about it, the more I was willing to tell Ashley to kiss my ass. It was my pride that was trying to keep her from getting even a penny of my money. I hated the idea she would get a single penny, but if that’s what it took to close this thing, I would have to swallow my pride and remind myself of the happiness I felt last night.

22

SHILOH

Iwoke up alone in Archer’s bed. I took a moment to take a quick survey of what I was feeling. It wasn’t regret. Last night was incredible. I was glad it happened. I knew there was a very good chance it would be our one and only time together. I had come to terms with it. I wanted one night to remember.

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