Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
I had no idea she’d only stay by my side long enough to take my inheritance and run. She’d accused me of abuse and being unfaithful, winning the favor of the courts, forcing me to liquidate money from my father’s company to get through the divorce.
She’d damn near robbed me of the only thing I had left of my parents. If it hadn’t been for Felix lending me the money to stay afloat, I would have lost it all.
Angry heat bubbled under my skin.
It was Daria’s fault I made the stupid promise to Felix in the first place.
It was her fault I needed to lie to my godparents.
It was her fault I made up some woman that was starting to look too much like Aspen Quinn.
Over ten years later and thoughts of my ex-wife still filled me with bitter rage.
Rationally, I knew the responsibility of my actions lied with me, but she’d set me off in a direction I never envisioned. I’d married her wanting a family full of babies I could pass my legacy down to. I’d imagined working just long enough to get them settled and then enjoying the future with my wife by my side, traveling the world.
What a fucking joke.
Now all I envisioned was finding someone to coach to be a better version of me for when I finally left the company. Which would be when I died—alone.
I emptied my wine in a single gulp and poured another glass.
“Well, all of that is in the past now.” Grace’s smile only looked a little forced. “How about we have some dessert and focus on the good things in life?”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Felix agreed.
“It’s your favorite, Lucian,” Grace said with a wink.
“You spoil me.”
“Because we love you,” she gushed.
I reached across the space and squeezed her hand in mine. They’d stepped in as parents after mine passed, which sounded absurd for a twenty-one-year-old man, but I’d needed it and was grateful every day for their comfort.
Grace served dessert and paired it with a glass of brandy for each of us. Felix passed on the nightcap despite how much I knew he loved the drink. As much as I wanted to focus on the good things in life, I couldn’t. How could I when it existed without him in it?
After dessert, Felix headed to bed, and Grace walked me to the door. “You know, the funniest thing happened the other day when I was at the club.” Her pinched brows left me believing that whatever happened probably wasn’t that funny.
“You mean other than running into Satan herself?” I joked, attempting to ease the prick of unease.
She stared, unamused with my humor. “No, not that. I was talking to Jan about your girlfriend—”
Oh shit.
“—and I completely forgot her name.” Her tinkle of laughter did nothing to temper the dread building. “But then I remembered that you put off telling us until it was more serious. But it’s been months since you mentioned to Felix about the possibility of proposing—which is definitely serious, and then I couldn’t remember if it came up again. Because surely, in all that time, you would have told us the name of the woman you’re considering proposing to.”
All laughter, glares, furrowed brows, and everything else vanished as Grace gave me the most direct stare she’d ever given me in all of the thirty years I’d known her. While my heart thundered against my chest, my face remained neutral.
She suspected the lie, fear warned.
But she couldn’t know, I assured. She couldn’t.
“Blame my parents and their romanticism that must be more ingrained than I originally thought,” I said, shocked my voice didn’t crack under the intense pressure. “Mom always told me the story about how she kept Dad’s name in a locket until she felt sure enough to share his existence with everyone else. And Dad kept the fact that he was dating Mom to himself as long as possible. I know it’s funny, but I liked having the connection to them, and didn’t want to jinx it.”
I’d walked a fine line with every conversation, managing to dive out and onto another topic before committing to any made-up moniker.
And now, time was up.
“Well, maybe you can reveal your secret now, since things seem to be going so well.” She smiled, but her eyes held me pinned. “That way, I don’t have another faux pas at the club.”
Panic pressed me into a corner with no escape, similar to when I first blurted the lie about even having a girlfriend. And just like then, I spoke without thinking through the ramifications of my answer. “Her name is Aspen.”
Grace’s stare softened, her smile turning more genuine. “What a beautiful name. I’ll make sure to let Jan know the next time I see her.”
With a forced laugh, I hugged her goodbye and got the hell out of there before any other stupid shit poured out.