Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
He laughed. “It certainly helps.”
The downside of being older was that with age came experience and with experience came wisdom. I understood the decision Richard was making. In many ways, I’d made similar decisions at his age, and look where it had gotten me. I didn’t want to see him making the same mistake and wasting so many years of his life unhappy and chasing after something he ultimately didn’t want.
“You do know that I dated you because I liked you, right? It had nothing to do with your father’s position or his money or his book of business.”
“It sweetened the pot, though, didn’t it?” He looked a little sad when he said it.
I didn’t know what to tell him. Had I held on longer than I should have because it was easier? Would we have broken up sooner if it hadn’t also meant risking my job? I wish I could say no, but there was really no way for me to know.
I stood, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t let your father or his money define who you are or what you want. You’re worth more than his millions.”
He laid his hand over mine for a brief moment and squeezed before letting go. “I hope it works out for you, James. I really do. At least one of us should find love.”
I left there hoping he would find it too, but more than that, I walked away reminding myself of something I’d read somewhere. That love was a verb, not a noun. If I wanted to prove my love to Sawyer, I had to take action. And that action wasn’t about me. It was about giving Sawyer Gilley everything he’d ever wanted.
24
Sawyer
“It’s a baby shower, asshole. Not the end of the world,” Karlie said, shoving a bag of green balloons into my stomach and pointing toward the giant canister of helium by the reception desk. “Stop moping and get decorating or I’ll disinvite you.”
“You can’t disinvite me, I’m the host,” I reminded her.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “I’m nearly eight months pregnant, and that means I’ll do whatever the fuck I want.”
I held up my hands in surrender. I knew better than to poke a bear. I started filling the balloons and tying them off with curling ribbon, letting them drift up to bob along the ceiling.
“By the way,” Karlie said absently, “I invited your fancy city lawyer to the shower.”
I let go of the balloon I’d been filling, and it shot across the room as it noisily deflated. “You what?” I sputtered. “You talked to him? How did he sound? Okay? Is he okay?” I could tell from her expression that perhaps my response was a tad overboard. I cleared my throat and shrugged. “I mean, cool. Yeah.”
She rolled her eyes but said nothing as she turned and walked back toward the office. She was worse than a younger sister sometimes.
I chased after her, my heart pounding wildly. “Seriously, though, Karlie, is he coming? What did he say?”
“He said nothing. I don’t know if he even got the email. I got a bounce back saying that he no longer worked at the firm.”
I froze. No longer worked at the firm? “What do you mean?”
She threw up her arms. “Oh my god, Sawyer! You’re the worst! Why don’t you just call the man and talk to him?”
I threw myself dramatically onto a nearby chair. “I can’t.”
“I still don’t understand why not.”
“Because we won’t be happy together.”
“You’re not happy apart,” she pointed out.
I glared at her. Just because she was right didn’t mean I needed to admit it. “It just won’t work. I tried. His life is so different than what I’m used to. It’s all galas and money and high society, and that’s just not a world I’ll ever be comfortable in.”
“Maybe it’s a world he’s not comfortable in either, you ever think of that?”
“He sure seemed pretty comfortable,” I grumbled. My mind flashed to an image of him and Richard standing arm in arm while James told some sort of joke that got the rest of the men in their gaggle laughing. They’d looked so natural together, so perfect. Richard was exactly the kind of partner James needed—someone polished and cultured and educated.
The opposite of me.
“You know there’s an easy way to find out for sure?” Karlie said. “You could try talking to him.”
“I can’t. Because he’s so sweet, he’d offer to give it all up for me, and I’d always feel guilty. And he’d resent me. Haven’t you ever read a book? Country mice and city mice don’t just move in together. They only visit. Or something.”
“Look if you’re going to choose to be miserable, just do it elsewhere, okay? Today is supposed to be about me. So put a fucking smile on your face and behave.”