by Ali Parker
The breath left my body, leaving me feeling deflated as I watched him drive away. I turned away from the window and flopped down on the couch. I felt dirty. Used. He had seemed so sincere when he had been at my door that day. He had said he loved me. Was it all a lie?
I hated that I had let myself fall for the lines. He’d probably seen me as an easy target. I hadn’t exactly played hard to get. I had sex with him in the barn when I barely knew him. That had probably given him the idea that it was okay to keep doing it.
What man would ever stay in our tiny town when he could live anywhere and do anything? He could travel the world in his own yacht or a fleet of private jets. He was only biding his time. I didn’t know all the details about the money, but I imagined there was some kind of waiting period to transfer that kind of money.
I was certain he would hit the ground running once the money cleared his account and the waiting period expired. He would leave and never look back. I would become a distant memory.
Once again, Damion Whittle had managed to shatter my heart into a million pieces. I didn’t think I would recover from his betrayal anytime soon.
Chapter 65
Damion
I stared out over the water that looked like glass. Occasionally, there would be a small ripple that would disturb the surface before smoothing out once again. It was representative of my life in many ways. Things had once been calm and serene. They weren’t now. I was hoping they would be again soon, but I wasn’t counting on Alex being part of that calm serenity.
“You okay?” Justin asked.
I blinked, the world beyond the surface of the water coming into focus. “I’m good,” I answered.
The gentle rocking of the small rowboat we were in had lulled me into a meditative state. He had invited me to go fishing with him while Oliver was at school. Initially, I was going to politely decline before I decided hanging out with him was better than sitting around the house and sulking.
Unfortunately, it appeared I could sulk no matter where I was at. I was having a hard time focusing on the fishing I was supposed to be doing. I was hung up on Alex. It was becoming a usual state of mind for me. She had me twisted in knots—again.
“You don’t look good,” he replied.
“I can always count on you to really improve my self-confidence,” I said dryly.
He chuckled. “You know I like to be honest. What’s going on? You haven’t been right since you came home from your little visit with Alex the other day. I would think you would be smiling after some alone time.”
I scoffed. “Not this time.”
“You two still fighting?”
“I don’t think we’re fighting. She kicked me out of her life again. This time is pretty serious. Last two times, she walked away. This time, she’s booting me out of the state.”
“She does that. You wiggled your way back in once. You’ll do it again.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think so. She’s dug in on this one.”
He tossed out his fishing line before settling into the seat with the low back. “What’d you do? Forget her birthday? Finish too soon?”
“No, god no.”
He chuckled. “What did you do?”
I blew out a breath. “She found out about the money,” I told him.
He shrugged. “So?”
“She thinks the only reason I showed up in Geraldine was to collect the inheritance.”
He scratched his head. “Isn’t that true?”
“Yes, but things changed.”
Justin played the simple man, but he wasn’t. He nodded with understanding. “She thinks it’s why you’re back. You have to fulfill the six-month probationary period before you get your money and you came back to make sure you got it.”
“She thinks I’m using her until I get the money and then will turn around and walk out on her. Using her for sex and to pass the time. I’m not like that.”
“You told her about the stipulations?”
“Yes,” I answered. “I told her everything. I didn’t necessarily mean to lie to her, but she thinks I did. I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell her the whole story. She’s forgetting I signed the farm over to her before I left. At least, I tried to do that. She refused to accept my offer.”
“You were going to give it all up for real?” he asked with surprise.
“Yes. I didn’t want to get too enmeshed in this life only to realize it wasn’t the right thing for me and my son. I figured it was best to cut ties before they got too difficult to cut. I told Harvey I didn’t want any of it and to do whatever my grandfather had set in place as a backup plan. Alex was the backup. The money would have been donated to a variety of charities. I was okay with that. I had been making it on my own just fine before I ever knew about the inheritance. I was going to be paid double what I was originally making. I would have been fine.”
He looked at me. “But you came back to try and fulfill the remaining four months or so.”
I let out a long breath. “No. It turns out I didn’t need to. Harvey isn’t a great listener, it seems.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means I got the money a week after I left here.”
He blew out a whistle. “No shit?”
I slowly nodded. “Yep. Imagine my surprise when I found out. I thought it was all lost to me and I wasn’t that sad about it. When I found out Harvey had pushed the paperwork through, I didn’t know what to think.”
“Why in the hell did you come back here if you’re sitting on a pile of money?”
I looked at him and smiled. “For her. For Oliver. For myself. The money is nice, but it can’t buy happiness. It can’t buy me what I want most—love. I want love and I want someone who is authentic and genuinely loves me and my son.”
“With that kind of money, I think you can certainly buy love.”
“Not real love. I didn’t want some woman faking it.”
“Do you think Alex is like that?” he asked, his tone slightly accusing.
“Not at all,” I answered. “She’s the real deal. I know she loves Oliver and he loves her.”
He was quiet for a few seconds. “Does she know you already have the money?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. It seemed like she thought I had it or was going to be getting it soon.”
“You didn’t tell her you had it before you came back the second time?”
I slowly shook my head. “No. It seemed pointless. Alex is stubborn. When she gets something in her head, there’s no dislodging it. I didn’t see any point in arguing. She wasn’t going to believe a word I said. She’s convinced I’ve been lying to her from day one. Anything I said was going to be rejected. I didn’t want to stick around and listen to her insult me or what we had. I didn’t want to get mad and say something I would regret. I left.”
“You do that a lot,” he commented.
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about her.”
He laughed. “I’d say you two are a lot alike.”
“Maybe that’s the problem. Opposites attract, not alikes.”
“I didn’t see it being a problem with the two of you. You guys were always making googly eyes at one another. It was a little disturbing if I’m being honest.”
I laughed. “I don’t think so.”
He reeled in his line and recast it in a different area. “Shit, I’m sitting here fishing with a real-life billionaire. Why are we in my beat-up, rusty, leaky boat when we could be in something sweet and fast?”
“Because you can’t fish in something sweet and fast,” I answered.
“I wouldn’t mind trying.”
I laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Look, I know things look bleak now, but I think with a little more honesty, you guys can work through this.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. She was pretty pissed. She tried to evict me from town.”
Justin laughed. “That sounds like Alex. I’m not going to pretend I know a lot
about love, real love, but I know it when I see it on someone else. I’ve known Alex for a while and she has never been as happy as I have seen her lately. She’s always been kind of surly and a lot bossy. I’ve also never known her not to work. She’s been spending a lot of time with you lately, helping out on your farm. Which, by the way, seems like it could be another reason she’s a little miffed with you.”
“Why?”
“Pay the woman! Shit! That’s what she does. She works on farms and gets paid. She probably thought she was doing you a favor by not charging you, but now that she knows you’re rich, she’s probably pissed.”
I thought about it. “I have offered to hire her, and she shot me down.”
“You should have tried harder.”
“Then she would think I was paying her for other things,” I answered, already knowing how she thought.
He shrugged. “I don’t know what the answer is, but I know you two are one of those couples that are meant to be together. Do what you have to. Make this right. Grovel. Buy her expensive jewelry. Do whatever it takes to make her understand you weren’t using her. Make her understand you love her and not the money.”
“I tried.”
“No, you didn’t. You gave up. You didn’t give her the full story because you were afraid she wouldn’t believe you. Tell her the truth. If she doesn’t believe you after that, that’s on her. Giving up on her isn’t going to win you any grand prizes. You’re going to feel like shit. She’s going to feel like shit, and ultimately, Oliver is going to feel like shit.”
He was right. “You certainly have a way with words,” I joked. “I’ll see what I can do, but honestly, I’m not holding out a lot of hope with this one.”
“What are your plans?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re a billionaire. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re not exactly living in a place where billionaires tend to hang out. You have money. You can live anywhere. Hell, you can buy the whole damn town, the county, maybe even the state. What are you going to do?”
I shrugged. “I like it here. I want the simple life for Oliver.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know if I could do that. I think I would hop on my private jet and buy the first island I found.”
I laughed. “That’s not a terrible idea, but I’m not sure how that would work out for Oliver.”
“He won’t need an education if he’s rich.”
I rolled my eyes. “That is a horrible sentiment.”
“But true.”
“Sadly, you’re right, but I’m not doing that. Oliver needs to go to school and then maybe I’ll think about buying that island. Assuming Alex doesn’t run me out of town first.”
Justin chuckled. “She can be pretty feisty.”
“That’s an understatement. I don’t know. I’ll figure something out, I suppose. I’m giving her a day or two to cool off. Maybe she’ll miss me and come back with her tail between her legs.”
“And maybe pigs will fly,” he said with a laugh.
I grinned. “A man can dream.”
Chapter 66
Alex
I glanced in the bathroom mirror as I washed my hands and face. I looked like hell. I wasn’t interested in showering. Not yet. I piled my hair on top of my head in a messy bun. Not cute messy but legit messy. I slid my slippered feet along the floor as I made my way to the kitchen. I needed coffee. A lot of coffee. I hadn’t slept much at all. Two nights of no sleep was wreaking havoc on me.
There was a knock on my door just as I was starting my coffee. I slowly walked over to see who it was.
“I see you,” Sadie called.
“You can’t see through wood,” I told her.
“Open the door.”
“I’m not decent,” I retorted.
“No shit. Open it anyway.”
I sighed, unlocking the door and pulling it open, expecting the comments about the state of my appearance. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Wow. This is a bad one. Have you showered this week?” She curled her lip. “I can flip you on your head and mop the floor with all that oil in your hair.”
“That’s really not very nice,” I retorted.
“You don’t look nice.”
“Oh my god! Did you come all the way over here just to be mean?”
She laughed. “No. I came over here to drag your ass out of this house. You need coffee. However, I’m not going anywhere with you until you shower and brush your teeth.”
I groaned. “I don’t want to go anywhere. Can’t we just have coffee here?”
“No. You need to get out of the house. This is an intervention. Your cryptic messages require some serious explaining. I’m tired of trying to guess what is going on. I have a feeling I’m going to be the one who needs coffee. So, shower. I’ll do your dishes while you do that. My god, woman. What the hell have you been doing the last few days?”
“Nothing,” I answered.
She looked around the house. “It shows. Go. Wash your hair twice.”
I pouted but did as I was told. I knew I needed exactly what she was saying. I wasn’t one to wallow. I didn’t particularly enjoy wallowing. Once I showered, I would feel better. I hoped. I stepped under the hot water and closed my eyes. I let the sharp spray of water hit my skin, waking me up and washing away the angst I’d been dealing with. I spent a longer time than usual under the spray, washing my hair twice like ordered.
By the time I stepped out, I was feeling a little better. I towel dried my hair before following the sounds of dishes being put away. I leaned against the wall and watched Sadie put away the last of the clean dishes.
“Thank you,” I told her.
“You’re welcome. What are friends for?”
“To tell you when you look like hell,” I said with a small laugh.
“Come on. Coffee and pie are on the menu and lots of gossip.”
I didn’t argue. I was ready to talk. I climbed into her car and let her drive me to the usual place. We ordered two slices of apple pie and coffee, not caring it wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning.
She took a sip of coffee and then looked me directly in the eye. “Okay, now, you gave me some very stilted, cryptic answers about what is going on. I’m going to need you to fill in the gaps.”
“Damion is a billionaire,” I blurted out.
She blinked. “Come again?”
I nodded. “Yep. He’s a billionaire. Well, he will be a billionaire.”
“Me too,” she said with a smile.
“You’re not a billionaire.”
“But maybe I will be one day.”
I shook my head. “No, he’s actually a billionaire. Oliver Senior left him a massive amount of money. I didn’t know Oliver was wealthy. He was. Like super wealthy. He left it to Damion.”
“Wow. You found your Prince Charming and he’s rich to boot. I’m not sure I understand all the wallowing.”
“Because he didn’t tell me!” I exclaimed. “He only came to Geraldine to collect his inheritance.”
“Sweetie, I know neither of us are used to dealing with more than a few hundred dollars in our bank accounts at any given time, but banks have this magical way of using the internet for transfers and whatnot.”
I rolled my eyes. “The only way he could inherit was to live on the farm for six months. Once his six months are up, he gets the farm and the money.”
“He’s only been around a couple of months,” she said with a confused look.
“I know. Remember he left?”
“Yes, how could I forget.”
“He came back and said he loved me and blah, blah, blah. It was all bullshit. He came back because he has to do his time if he wants to collect. He didn’t come back for me. I’m only servicing him and keeping him entertained until he gets what he wants. He’ll be gone once he’s got his money. There’s nothing to keep him here.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean you don’t think so? It’s true. He admitted it all.”
“He told you he was using you for sex until he got his money?” she asked.
“No, not in so many words, but he didn’t have to. I know what he’s doing.”
She rolled her eyes. “You are freaking out over nothing. You’re looking for him to screw up. You’re looking for a way out. You always have an exit strategy.”
“That isn’t what this is,” I argued. “He did this. He is the one that is going to leave.”
She sighed. “You always do this. You’re so worried someone is going to hurt you, you build walls around yourself. You put on that body armor and no one gets in. If they get close, you panic. You’re panicking.”
“Sadie, this is real. I’m not kidding. He inherited a fortune. The only reason he is here is to get that fortune.”
“Did he say he wanted to leave?”
“No, but—”
She held up a hand. “Exactly. He came back for you.”
I slapped a hand on the table. “This is what I’m trying to explain to you. He didn’t come back for me. He came back for the money.”
“Do you honestly think he would jerk his kid back and forth across the country for the money? I don’t know him half as well as you do, but even I know he lives and breathes for that boy. He isn’t going to do anything that would hurt Oliver. He knows Oliver likes it here. Oliver couldn’t stop talking about how much he missed you when they were gone. How much Damion missed you. It’s real, Alex. Very real. Before you push him away, ask yourself if you’re really being rational.”
I leaned back in my seat. “You’re being harsh.”
“I’m sorry, but I have to be. I can’t let you ruin this. He’s so good for you. You don’t see how different you are with him in your life. You’re happy. Really happy. Why are you afraid to acknowledge he loves you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Because I don’t believe he does. Now that he has money on top of everything else he had going for him, I can’t understand why he would choose me.”