Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
A Truth for a Truth
As soon as I walked into the penthouse, I tossed my purse onto the table and barked at Hale, “I’m taking a bath.”
Five minutes later, I was stewing in a steaming tub of irritation and denial. Not only was I pissed off about him throwing me under the bus, I forgot my damn book downstairs, and I was at a good part. Normally, I would just call Hale and ask him to bring it to me—which he would—but there was no way I was asking anything of him now.
“Rayne.” Hale barged in to the bathroom.
“Ever hear of knocking?” I slunk below the bubbles, rolling my eyes.
“Let’s get one thing straight, a door will never keep me from you.”
“Oh, really? Will this work? Go. Away.”
“My flight leaves in two hours. We should talk.”
“I think we said enough.”
He dragged the vanity chair closer to the tub and sat down, staring at me for a long moment. “You can’t deny that he puts too much stress on you.”
“I’m his personal assistant, Hale. It’s a twenty-four-seven responsibility. And what does it matter, if I don’t mind doing it?”
“I mind.”
The room temperature dropped several degrees as the air between us chilled. I’d always suspected he minded, but he never admitted it. In fact, he denied it.
“Well, that’s new.”
“No, it’s not. I’ve tried to be supportive, but he’s only become more intrusive. Now, it’s literally impacting our family life.”
“Oh, bullshit.”
“Rayne, the doctor said—”
“There is no test that spit out an actual result that said our inability to conceive is Remington’s fault, Hale.” I flung my hand out of the water and started ticking off facts. “One, she’s not even my official doctor. She’s a specialist we had one consultation with. She doesn’t know anything about us. Two, your job is way more intrusive than mine. You leave every week, and I’m left alone for days. I have to care for Elara, do my job, and go to class. Did you ever think that maybe I need Remington as much as he needs me? Marta feeds us and takes care of our daughter when Andrew or I can’t. When I’m overwhelmed, I can go there to catch my breath. Your dad might stress you out, but he helps calm me down. I like knowing I’m a part of his world when mine feels empty. You’re away a lot, Hale. And sometimes…”
I didn’t understand why I was suddenly crying. When I wiped my eyes I got bubbles on my face and sputtered, trying to keep them from going in my mouth.
“It’s really hard knowing I have a partner but also feeling like I’m a single parent half the time. Plus, school’s super stressful, and everyone’s younger than me in my classes, so it’s not like I have friends I can study with. If I was going to cut back on stress, I’d start there. But none of that matters because it takes two to tango, bucko, and this is not just my fault. You want to point fingers and place blame, let’s put it all on the table. The situation between you and your dad has been the biggest freaking elephant in the room since we’ve met, and we’ve been stepping around it for years. That’s intrusive!”
“Bucko?”
“I’m too tired to pick my words carefully.”
He glanced away and sighed, not the least bit frazzled by my emotional explosion. “My job has always required a lot of traveling.”
“Well, my job has always required a lot of Remington.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, Rayne.”
“Then why did you say all that to some stranger in a lab coat? She said our timing was off, and you dumped all this personal crap on the table. You could have at least spoken to me about your feelings in private.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. That wasn’t the best place to bring this up. But it usually bothers me most when you’re running out the door to help him, so there never seems to be an appropriate time to discuss it.”
“Oh, my God.” I sank lower in the tub, strongly considering going underwater and holding my breath until he left the room.
“What?”
“Hale, I love you, but I am not going to be a part of your rivalry with him. He might be my boss, but he’s also my father-in-law. He’s the only father figure I’ve got, and I love him. You can’t ask me to stop worrying about his health or stop scheduling his appointments and checking that his medications are correctly sorted just because I’m off the clock. That’s what a good daughter does. And, as his son, you should be grateful I care so much.”
“I am grateful.”
“Then why is it so hard for you to accept? Can’t you just admit that you love him, too?”
His jaw twitched. “Sometimes, I overlook how much you do when I’m not around. I know I rely on you a lot with Elara. I’m sorry if I’ve taken you for granted.”