An image of her holding out the knife, ready to protect him from the teenagers flashed through his mind. She was such a princess and yet, she was fearless. He still couldn’t believe she was choosing him over the money. It made his heart swell with gratitude. She was giving up so much for him. He’d never forget it. He’d vow to be worthy of her love—to be the man that she, for some wonderful reason unbeknownst to him, believed he was. Their love would make him a better man. They’d stop by Remember on their way back. Lucas would talk to Arthur Vinson, see if they could work out some sort of deal. It would be tough running his own ranch and keeping it afloat with all the expenses while paying a payment to Arthur, but where there was a will, there was a way.
A knock sounded on the door. Lucas glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was eleven thirty p.m. His blood quickened. Was Magnolia at the door? Those kisses had been amazing. She’d melted into him. Her lips were so soft and pliable, and yet, she’d kissed him with such fervor. Several times over the past twenty-four hours he’d allowed his mind to drift to the approaching wedding and everything that would come afterwards. The thoughts of holding Magnolia in his arms and making her his wife lit him with a fevered excitement. It occurred to him just now they’d not even talked about where they wanted to spend their honeymoon. He grinned, thinking about that ridiculous heart-shaped bed at the inn. He’d love to see Magnolia’s face if he took her there.
He threw back the covers, turned on the lamp, and padded across the plush carpet to the door. Suppressing a yawn, he opened it. Surprise pinged through him when he saw Oscar. He was dressed in the same clothes he’d had on earlier at dinner.
“I’m sorry to bother you so late.” Oscar motioned. “May I come in?”
Lucas glanced down at his t-shirt and boxers before raking a hand through his hair. “Sure.”Oscar stepped in, closing the door behind him. He shuffled his feet, his hands going into his pockets like he was suddenly unsure of himself. This couldn’t be good. Lucas motioned to the sitting area, which was larger than the living room in his apartment. “Do you wanna have a seat?”
“No thanks. This won’t take long.” Oscar blew out a long breath. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just gonna come out with it.”
“Okay,” Lucas said carefully, bracing himself.
“I spoke to Magnolia. She’s determined to marry you.”
A semi-amused smile stole over Lucas’s lips. “That’s good because I intend to marry her too.”
“It won’t work.”
Lucas flinched. “Why?” A hard edge slipped into his voice. “Because I’m not Roman Abbott?”
“This has nothing to do with Roman Abbott,” Oscar countered.
“Okay, if it’s not about Roman, then what is it?” He ground his teeth, eyeing Oscar.
“The money. Magnolia believes my father will come around, but he won’t.” Several emotions flickered in Oscar’s eyes—pain, regret, sorrow? Lucas wasn’t sure exactly what Oscar was feeling or why he was here.
“Magnolia’s willing to forgo the money if necessary.” Lucas didn’t want that for Magnolia, but if that’s how it had to be, then they’d deal with it.
Another emotion darted across Oscar’s features. This time, Lucas had no trouble getting a clear read. It was pride. “Magnolia reminds me so much of me at that age. She’s so optimistic about the future, so certain that she won’t regret giving up the money.” His eyes hazed with sorrow. “I was like that once.”
“You’re talking about your ex-wife.”
Oscar’s voice grew recollective. “Janet was this big ball of energy and fire. She swept into my life like a tornado. I was so madly in love that I would have gone to the end of the earth and back for her.” He compressed his lips into tight lines. “When my parents threatened to disinherit me, I told them to take a flying flip. I believed that nothing could ever come between me and Janet, especially not the money.”
Foreboding gripped Lucas’s heart in an icy grip. “But it did.”
“Yes, it did,” Oscar said dully. “Janet felt guilty because she knocked me out of getting my inheritance.”
“And you started resenting her,” Lucas inserted.
“I did,” Oscar admitted quietly, a sorrowful look in his eyes. “Over time, it drove a wedge between us that we couldn’t get past.”
Lucas’s throat constricted to the size of a