When they walked into his room, it felt like he was treading in someone else’s life. He’d slept there only a handful of nights, though his work files were strewn across the desk and dresser. There was a finality to packing his belongings, the last step before heading back to the world that no longer seemed quite as important.
“Where are your suitcases?” Abby asked, putting on a brave face, but there was no hiding the sadness in her eyes.
“Come here, babe.” He gathered her in his arms, holding her tight.
“Goodbyes suck,” she said shakily.
“They sure do.”
“I’m not a weepy girl. I’m sorry I keep losing it.”
He leaned back far enough to see her face and said, “Don’t you dare be sorry for loving me enough to miss me. I’m sure as hell not sorry for loving you so much I physically ache at the thought of leaving you.”
“We’re a mess,” she said.
“The best kind of mess, but I’m pretty sure love is supposed to be messy.”
She pushed out of his arms and huffed. “No more tears. Suitcases?”
He retrieved his suitcase and briefcase from the closet and set the briefcase on the table. “Would you mind throwing my files in the briefcase, and I’ll pack my stuff from the bedroom and bathroom?”
“Sure.”
He kissed her forehead and went into the bedroom before he lost his mind and hauled her into his arms again. He shoved his clothes into the suitcase, then packed his toiletries. He took one last look in the mirror, barely recognizing the suntanned man staring back at him. He hadn’t shaved in days, and his hair was in need of a trim, curling at the edges. But it was the unfamiliar look in his eyes that stopped him cold. He’d always seen a shrewd businessman staring back at him, and while he knew he could recapture that man when he walked into a boardroom, he liked this new look even better. It was a look of relaxation and happiness.
It was the look of love.
He took a quick selfie and thumbed out a text message. Thank you for forcing this vacation on me. I think you’ll agree I’ve learned how to chill. Love you, sis. I’ll be in touch when I settle in overseas. He sent it off and composed another text. This is the face of the man who loves you. Xox, and sent it to Abby.
He zipped his suitcase and headed into the other room. “Ready, Abs?”
She was sitting on the edge of the bed with an open folder in her lap. When she lifted her face, there were tears in her eyes. “What is this, Aiden?” Her voice was filled with hurt and confusion. “Why do you have an entire folder on the Bistro? A copy of the original offer from DRA Capital?”
Fuuck. “I can explai—”
“I saw your signatures on some of the documents. It was you who tried to buy the Bistro, and then you tried to get me to put some other deal together to line your own pockets as an angel investor.” She pushed to her feet and threw the folder on the bed.
“Abby, listen to me—”
“You never said a word.” Her entire body was shaking, her eyes casting daggers. “You pushed for me to invest with you, the angel investor.” She said angel investor like a curse. “How could you do that to me?”
“I didn’t want you to lose the restaurant or your house, and with a home equity line of credit, both are at risk.” He reached for her, but she twisted away. “Abby, come on. You know me better than that.”
She crossed her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Do I? Because I’m not sure I have any idea who you really are. You lied to me.”
“I never lied to you.”
“You said you were in finance.”
“I am in finance,” he said through gritted teeth, trying to hold his shit together. “Jesus, Abby. Yes, before I met you, I saw the restaurant, checked it out, and put in an offer. But then I met you, Abs, and you turned it down. There was no need for me to say anything—”
“Right, because who needs honesty? Obviously not the girl who said it was her number one priority.”
“Damn it, Abby,” he snapped. “I liked you from the moment we met, and I didn’t want you to see me like every other woman sees me—as the guy who could buy them diamonds and yachts and whisk them away to exotic places.”
She crossed her arms, the anger in her eyes slaying him. “So you were afraid I was a gold digger?”
“No! Just the opposite. You were so different. You were—are—real and down to earth. You’re kind and funny, and I wanted to enjoy being with you without the pressure of everything else that goes along with being fucking Aiden Aldridge. I didn’t think I’d fall head-over-heels in love with you. And then I did, and you needed money, and I had it. It’s as simple as that. I tried to give you the money out of my own pocket, but you refused my offer, so I tried to do the only other thing I could to ensure that you wouldn’t risk losing the restaurant and the house.”
“More like you wanted to be there to collect if I screwed up,” she said angrily.
She tried to stalk past him, but he grabbed her hand, unwilling to let the only woman he’d ever loved walk out of his life. “That’s not it, Abby. If you’d taken me up on the investment, I would have had a separate legal document written up directing every goddamn penny you paid back go into an account for you in your name, not mine.”
“It’s easy to say that now, isn’t it?” she seethed. “I asked you for one thing, Aiden. You knew what I went through with my mother and how many times she lied to me and hurt me. All I asked for was transparency, and you gave me lies.”
“I never lied to you. Christ, Abby. Do you really think if I had something to hide, I would have been stupid enough to ask you to put away my files? Do you even hear what you’re accusing me of? I told you how I was raised to believe if I have, I should give; I should help others. Why, for fuck’s sake, would I not give to the woman who I was falling in love with?”
“It’s not about giving. It’s about how you went about it,” she hollered. “It makes me feel like I don’t really know who you are. The guy who will do whatever he wants and say the hell with my feelings, or the guy who . . . who . . .”
“Who loves you enough to do whatever it takes to make your dreams come true. This is me, Abby. The same guy you said you loved five minutes ago. I haven’t changed. I haven’t lied. If anything, I’ve told you more about myself, more truths, than I’ve ever told anyone else. I told you about my family and my famous sister. The person whose identity I have guarded with my life for years. I wanted you to know those things, Abby, because I knew, even then, that there was something special between us.”
Her expression softened the slightest bit, giving him a shred of hope.
“Did I screw up, Abs? Yes. Do I regret not telling you I was the original investor? You bet. But after you said you didn’t want to pitch an investment deal, I didn’t even think about it again except to say to myself that I would do everything within my power to make sure you didn’t lose your house or your business.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her chin lifted in defiance. “I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself.”
“I know you are, but it’s business. Anything can happen, and for as long as you use that line of credit, your house and your restaurant are at risk. And they are as big a part of you as you have become of me.”