knees are under my chin. “I was shocked. She was fine when I left. I mean, she had cancer, but was responding well, hadn’t been very sick from the chemo, generally handling everything fine. But she got an infection that her depressed immune system couldn’t fight.”
He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees with his hands clasped. “That must’ve been awful.”
“Scariest three days of my life. Donny and I sat vigil by her side. He crooned sweet, silly things to her the whole time, as though he could stop her from dying by the sheer force of his will and love. I realized if it was me in that bed, no one would have willed me to live. Oh, they’d have been sad, but they wouldn’t have fought for my life.” I chuckle. “Well, no one but Maggie. Anyway, thankfully, she recovered, and I knew my marriage was over. Though it took another couple of months for it finally to come to an end. My parents have pretty much disowned me. Wayland Estate is supposed to be mine. It’s been passed down to the first girl of the family for a couple of generations, but they sold it when they moved instead of giving it to me. Not that I wanted it, but still, it hurt.”
“Wow. That’s …”
“Stupid?”
“No.”
“You wouldn’t be the first to say it. My brother thinks I’m a lunatic for getting out of their good graces and bank accounts and for giving … well, everything up for my principles.”
“I was going to say brave. That’s fuckin’ brave, Tiger.”
I’m so shocked by his statement that I blink like an owl with a concussion. “Um, thanks.”
He scratches at the stubble on his chin. “It does clear up a few questions I’ve had.”
“Such as?”
“This is going to make me sound like a jerk, but I’ve been wondering why you didn’t fund the rec center project with family money.”
I lift my hands in a what can you do gesture. “Now you know.” I’m not telling him about my trust fund. That’s none of his business, but I can try to explain. “I want my life to count for something, you know? To do more than take up space in this world.”
“Mission accomplished.”
His praise is intoxicating and the last thing I expected.
“Have you been on anymore of those trips?”
“I went back to Guatemala a few months ago for a short two-week visit, and the women living around the clinic were happy to see I’d gained fifteen pounds.”
What the hell am I doing, besides giving him information to use against me? One side of his mouth curls, and I prepare myself for the dig that’s sure to come. Given the number of supermodels I’ve seen on his arm over the years, he probably thinks fifteen pounds is an enormous amount of weight.
“I think you could use a few more pounds. Don’t get me wrong, you look strong now, but your frame can hold a little more weight and still be healthy.”
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
I might’ve just fallen in love with him.
He shakes his head. “I’m also sorry about the house. I guess that seems disingenuous coming from the guy who bought it.”
The change in topic is like a car going ninety miles an hour and coming to a screeching halt. One minute, I’m about to declare undying love for him because he called me strong and said I looked healthy, then the next, he’s talking about buying Wayland Estate. I wave off his concern. “I’ve made peace with it. It wasn’t about the house—it’s much more than I want to handle. It was the FU from my parents that really hurt. The message couldn’t have been clearer—fall into line or you get nothing from us, including our love.”
“That’s shitty.”
“Those are my parents.”
He scrubs his hand through his hair and leans back on the couch so that his head is resting against the back and his long legs are planted on the floor. “Parents, man.”
“Yeah. But not your mom. She’s great.”
“She is great, unless you make her mad. That’s why I slept here last night. She kicked me out.”
“Why?” I can’t think of one scenario that would make Gracie King kick her precious boy out of her house.
Big arms spread wide to indicate the space around us. “Wayland Estate. She got mad because I bought it for her. She said I was embarrassed by her and where she comes from.”
“Are you?”
He slants his head slightly so I can see his eyes. “I’m not embarrassed by her.