Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25568 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25568 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
His smile is playful as he begins talking. We eat and talk, and I learn that Gideon didn’t grow up with money. He went out and busted his ass to make a life for himself, and I can’t help but find it admirable. He tells me stories from his childhood and then college. I love hearing how close he is to his two best friends and how they started the firm together.
At some point we move to the couch where we sip wine and share stories. He asks me a million questions, and it feels like I’m talking non-stop, but it's so easy to talk to him. Natural, really. With the way we go back and forth, it feels like we’ve known each other for years.
“I bet your mom is proud of you,” I say, and he nods.
“She’ll adore you.” He seems so certain when he says it, and I don’t know how to respond.
He acts as though we have a future, but we can’t carry on an affair. I wouldn’t do that to Gideon. He’s a good man and deserves a woman who is educated and fits in. I might have experience with rich people, but I can barely function in the real world.
"Do you want a different path, Emerson?"
"I think that time has passed. College or whatever was never really offered to me."
"Do you want to go to college?"
"I don't know." I shrug. "Maybe I spent too much time reading cheesy romance novels because that's what I wanted for the future."
"How so?" Gideon's hand rests on my thigh, his fingers lazily stroking me.
"My parents' marriage is terrible, but I was able to see the possibility of love in romance books. I told myself one day I'd have that because I didn’t want the same life as my mother. Do you think that’s silly? That all I dreamed about for myself was love?"
“No, Emerson.” He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I think with your family it’s what anyone would dream of. We all want what we’re lacking in life.”
“But mine could have been an education. I could have dreamed of going to college, but I didn’t.”
“Not everyone needs to go to college, and there is nothing wrong with wanting traditional things. Maybe if you’d had love, you would have dreamed of something different, but the point is that it should be your choice. Your life shouldn’t be decided by others and forced on you.”
Gideon pulls me into his lap, and I rest my head on his shoulder, relaxing against him. For the first time in my life, I feel seen. It’s like he’s unlocked my soul and understands every part of it.
“Thank you,” I say, brushing my nose against his neck. I close my eyes, wanting to savor this moment. His fingers drift gently up and down my back, and I’ve never been more at peace.
“Don’t thank me,” he says, but it sounds like he’s far away. He’s warm against me, so I know he’s right here, but I’m too comfortable to lift my head.
When I open my eyes again, bright light is streaming around me, and I’m in Gideon’s bed. I jerk awake and glance next to me, but he’s not there.
“Holy shit.” I jump out of bed and try to remember what happened. Gideon was holding me and then it was lights out. I must have fallen asleep on him and he put me in his bed.
Where the heck did he go? I want to talk to him, but what if he left the hotel? Maybe he doesn’t want to see me get married to another man. I can’t blame him. The thought of never seeing Gideon again makes a deep ache throb in my chest.
I search the room like he could be hiding under the bed before I have no choice but to go back to my own room. Time’s up, and I have to face my fate.
Chapter Fourteen
GIDEON
“Thank goodness you were here.” Conner’s father, Frank Merritt, claps me on the back. “You’ll be at the wedding, won’t you?”
I grind my teeth and give him a sharp nod so I can get the fuck out of here. This is what I get for leaving Emerson.
“Great, great. We’ll talk Monday.” He pulls me in close, and I can smell whiskey on his breath. Either he stayed up all night drinking or that’s what he had for breakfast. My money is on the latter. “But you’ll make sure this doesn’t leak to the press, right?”
“Of course.” My smile is tight, but I’m good at keeping my emotions in check. Otherwise I would have burned this hotel to the ground already.
Last night when Emerson fell asleep in my arms, it was the most peaceful thing I’ve ever experienced. Hearing her talk about her family and her life growing up, my heart broke for all the things she didn’t have. Sure, her family was filthy rich, but there’s no substitute for love. She grew up never feeling like she was good enough and not trusting her family to do what was best for her. When I carried her to bed and she cuddled next to me, it felt like I’d earned it. Emerson whispered my name in her sleep and reached for me like I was her only lifeline.