Conception (The Wellingtons #4) - Tessa Teevan Page 0,51
though we hadn’t even discussed how those futures would intersect. So, when she went off to Pennsylvania and I stayed in Tennessee for school, you could say we grew apart.”
“That makes sense. I can’t imagine how difficult long distance would be. Especially in college, when you have newfound freedom.”
“True. Not that I used mine for anything other than spending more time at Dad’s business. In the end, Gwen fell in love with and married someone else within four months of our breakup.”
My mouth drops open. “Four months?!”
“It’s what she always wanted, and I realized in hindsight she’d never kept it a secret. She wanted to be a wife, a mom. When it became clear to her she wasn’t getting that from me any time soon, she did what she had to. She dumped me for someone who would.”
“Ouch.”
Knox shakes his head. “Nah, it wasn’t that bad. Did it hurt my pride a bit? Sure. But she deserved to get what she wanted. And she married a good guy, so I can’t begrudge her—or him for that matter—for pursuing her dreams.”
I wrinkle my nose. “I can’t imagine my lifelong dream being to become a wife and just take care of other people instead pursuing my own passions.”
He shrugs. “Everyone wants something different in life. Everyone has their own purpose. If we didn’t, life would be a shit show.”
“I know. But still. I’d rather find someone whose passions align with mine. That way we can pursue them together.”
He entwines his long fingers around my own. “Pretty sure our passions align right now,” he murmurs, his eyebrows wagging.
I’m not sure if I want to scoff or giggle. So I do both, and it sounds ridiculous. “Not those kinds of passions.”
“So you know what happened with Gwen and me. What about this Robert fellow? What was the final straw?”
“Oh, that.” I sigh. “I guess you could say it was kind of the same as your situation, only a bit in reverse. Robert wanted it all. Not that much unlike you, he’s been working at his father’s law firm since he was a clerk in undergrad school. His sights are set on partner, and since his dad’s name is number one on the sign out front, there’s not much doubt he’ll accomplish it.”
“Ah.”
Knox’s expression tells me understands where this is going, and I wonder if, in a few years when he reaches Robert’s age, if he’ll be kicking himself for not locking down a sure thing when he had the chance.
“Also like you, while we were dating, Robert was laser focused on school, his internship, and passing the bar. I think that’s part of why we worked. He was close enough without being stifling. Even though we live in the same town, we still only saw each other once a week, and towards the end, those nights tended to be out schmoozing his dad’s clients or partners. I was the arm candy.”
Knox scoffs.
“I didn’t mind. Not at all. Dressing up, being wined and dined on someone else’s dime? It wasn’t a bad gig.”
“So, what happened?”
“He passed the bar. Turned twenty-five. Decided it was time to settle down. A hotshot lawyer’s gotta have a wife, a family at his back to show that he might be a dragon in the courtroom but he can still have values, morals, all that jazz. You know, a very Billy Flynn ‘All I Care About is Love’ kinda vibe.”
“Billy Flynn?” he asks, his brow wrinkled.
“Billy Flynn? Chicago?”
He shakes his head.
I lean mine back, my gaze on the ceiling before looking back to him. “Another thing you should know about me. I’m kind of obsessed with showtunes. Chicago’s a Broadway musical about a woman who murders her lover. Billy Flynn’s the hotshot lawyer who tries to get her off. He pretends he’s all squeaky clean, but he’ll really stoop to anything to get a win. You know what? Never mind.”
Knox grins. “Why am I not surprised that the musical you’re citing is about a murderess?”
“It has outstanding music!”
“I’ll take your word for it.” He pauses then wrinkles his nose. “Wait. What does having a family have to do with women murdering husbands?”
“Okay, so it wasn’t the best example,” I concede. “I just mean that, for some reason, the partners at his firm, his father included, believe that the façade of a family man will bring in more clients.”
“Ah, I see. So, this Robert twerp…”
“He was ready to take the next step. Marriage.” I shudder. “I’m twenty-one, not done with school, and