Marrying Mr. Darcy (Love Manor #2) - Kate O'Keeffe Page 0,85
and you call me to say you love me.”
“You’re going to be my wife, Brady. I absolutely trust you.”
A sense of euphoria settles over me. “Thank you, Seb. I was twisting myself up in knots after Jilly called to tell me about them.”
“Jilly called you?”
“Yeah. She was all ‘let Sebby go’ and stuff, telling me she thinks the universe is telling us not to be together.”
“Did she now? I’m not sure when she found the time to do that, exactly, since she was here until late last night with Granny while I dealt with Heather.”
My euphoria evaporates in a flash. “What did Heather have to say?”
“A few things. The upshot was she’s adamant she won’t have you on the show now.”
“I figured that might happen. Who can blame her? Photos of me with another man turn up when she didn’t even really want me on the show in the first place. You can do it without me. It’s fine. I’m over here looking after Mom for a while, anyway.” I prop up my pillow and lean back against it. “It’ll keep you off the streets,” I joke.
“Brady, I’ve turned the offer down,” he says quietly.
“No, Seb. Don’t do that. It’s too much money to pass up.”
“You’re too important to me. I won’t compromise on this. On you.”
I’m doing some serious swooning over how noble my fiancé is right now. He’s turning down a lucrative TV show to defend my honor. This guy is perfect.
He’s also acting like an idiot.
I take a deep breath, my tummy knotted so tight I doubt it’ll ever unravel. I have to speak my mind. I have to tell him what’s been plaguing my thoughts. Even if I know it’s going to hurt like hell.
“Seb, don’t you see? Jilly’s right. Everything is against us. Everything.”
“It’s not. It just feels a little like that right now, that’s all.”
I count off on my fingers. “Heather won’t have me on the show because it looks like I’m cheating on you. Those photos proved her initial decision.”
“Brady—”
“Seb,” I say. “Let me finish. I need to get this out.”
“Okay.”
I exhale before I press on. “I can’t get Timothy off the ground in the UK. No one returns my phone calls, and Denise is the only person to show even a tiny iota of interest in the label. Then there’s your granny.” An image of Geraldine, her eyes filled with hatred, her lips pulled into a thin, angry line the night she came clean about what she thinks of me pops into my head. “Seb, she has made it abundantly clear that I am not right for you. No matter what I say or do, I will never be good enough for you in her eyes. She told me if I married you, I would divide your family. Seb, I can’t do that to you.”
“Don’t listen to her. I love my grandmother, but she’s a bitter old goat.”
“But she’s family. How can I live in a house with her when I know she hates me? When I know she sees me as the axe that will split your family in two?”
“I don’t care about all of that. I care about you.”
“And I care about you. I love you. I love you more than I ever thought possible.” My breath is ragged, my heart pounding in my ears. “And that means I need to do what’s best for you.”
“What’s best for me is you.”
“Seb, I-I need to let you go.”
There’s a long pause before he asks, “Are you…ending this?”
Am I? Is that what I’m doing? Am I ending my relationship with Sebastian?
I take a long, deep breath and try to clear my head. So much has happened in the last forty-eight hours, I’m jet-lagged, and I’m sleep deprived. But there’s one thing I know for absolute certain—I love Sebastian and I want the best for him. No matter what that looks like. No matter how much it hurts.
I scrunch my eyes shut, my fist balled at my side. “I’m sorry.” I try to swallow down the lump in my throat as a brick settles in my chest. “I can’t wreck your life like this. I just can’t. I care too much for you to put you through anything else.”
“No, Emma. I won’t allow you to do this. You’re worked up because you’re stressed about your mum being sick and all the things that have been challenging for us. That’s all. I have never loved anyone the way I love you. I cannot lose