Tell Me You're Mine (The British Billionaires #1) - J. S. Scott Page 0,86
the elite crowd to know that she was correct.
Bella smiled. “My husband and I didn’t want our sons raised that way. We kept them far away from the cameras and ridiculous gossip among the uppers. I can’t take credit for who they’ve become now, though. They chose their own value system as adults, but I can’t say that I’m sorry they’ve basically shunned the snobby, elite crowds. They work, just like their father did, because they realize that they’d be incredibly bored if they didn’t. Damian has taken all of his responsibilities a little too much to heart, but I’d rather see him go that direction than to be an unfeeling society twit.”
“He works too hard, and takes full responsibility for everyone’s welfare,” I said with a sigh. “But at least his headaches seem to have stopped, at least for now.”
Bella looked at me sharply. “You know about his headaches.”
“Of course. How could I not notice? I can see the signs of stress on his face when he gets them, and he gets as white as a sheet. He hasn’t had one since the day we were flying across the pond. He’s been working from home, so he seems more relaxed, and I’ve forced him to eat and sleep when I’m around. He’ll probably be happy to see me leave.” I forced my lips into a smile I didn’t quite feel.
“He’d be far better off if you stayed,” Bella said adamantly. “But I don’t suppose he’s gotten around to talking to you about that yet.”
“I can’t stay, Bella,” I said wistfully. “I’m American. My entire life is back in California. My business is there, too. Besides, Damian hasn’t asked me to stay longer. All we need to do now is sign our contract for Lancaster International and I’m done.”
“Oh, he will ask,” Bella said in a sly tone. “I’ve never seen Damian as crazy about a woman as he is about you. He’s not the kind of man who seeks out relationships, Nicole. He swore he’d never marry, but I knew he’d change his tune when he found the right woman. I knew when my eldest son fell, he was going to fall hard, and I was right. He’s like his father that way. There was only one woman for my husband, and that woman was me. Like his father, Damian will chase you to the ends of the earth if he has to until you agree to marry him. Mind you, that kind of love is pretty intense, but it’s also exhilarating. You’ll never accept anything less after a man has loved you that way.”
Unfortunately, I was well aware of the euphoria that came with loving Damian Lancaster. I knew what it felt like to have all that intense male attention focused directly on me.
“I’m in love with him, Bella,” I confessed before I could think better of doing it. I didn’t have a mother anymore, and she was the closest thing I had to a parent figure. “But Damian has never claimed to want anything permanent. He’s never said that he loves me. All of this was a game we played to fix his reputation, and a brief interlude of sightseeing. Let’s get real. He’s a billionaire duke. His life is here in England.”
Bella shot me a dubious look. “Strange how all of that can be worked out if the feelings are there,” she said in a gentle tone. “Don’t give up on him, Nicole. He might be a little slow to say the words, but Damian is crazy about you. He’s just so tied up in knots about the way that he feels that his head isn’t on straight. He’ll ask you to stay. The question is: do you care enough to do it? If you don’t say yes, I fear he’ll end up moving to America to camp out on your doorstep.”
I let go of a startled laugh. “I doubt that very much, Bella. Damian belongs here.”
“Maybe you should consider whether or not you could eventually call England your home then,” Bella instructed. “Understand, sometimes those private jets come in handy if you want to spend some time in the States with your family.”
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t really have any family there anymore. My mom died over a year ago. She was pretty much all I had. I have some great friends there, though.”
“They’re just a plane ride away, and it doesn’t hurt to have the Lancaster fortune at your disposal.” Bella held