Page 60 of The Billionaire's Marriage Dare

"Say it then," Jane said tonelessly.

"You promised to be yourselves with each other," Fawn reminded her gently. "You need to remember that also means accepting that we’re all human. That we make mistakes, and that sometimes our real selves can be ugly.” Fawn paused. “Tell me something, Jane – what if none of this happened and everything was going well between you when Christian gets into an accident—-”

Jane frowned warily. “I don’t see where this is going.”

“Bear with me. What if there was an accident, say a car crash—-”

Reid noticed the way Jane shivered and scrambled afterwards to knock thrice on the first wooden surface she could reach. Did she know how telling her actions were?

“Would you still love Christian," Fawn asked softly, "even if the accident leaves him disfigured and paralyzed from the waist down?”

Jane didn’t even think. “Of course.” She knocked thrice on the table again. “There’s no question about it.”

Fawn stood up from the couch. “Exactly, Jane. Think of the security breach as the accident, and everything else that followed after that as the fallout.”

Fawn's words didn’t leave Jane for the rest of the night, even to the point of keeping her awake. Frustrated by how the words kept bothering her, Jane pulled her bedside drawer open and took her phone out.

She hadn’t checked it for any messages, knowing that Christian had been texting and calling her nonstop. She hadn’t wanted to hear from him, but because she was still a stupid lovesick fool, Jane hadn’t been able to erase any of his unread messages either.

The first message she read was an answer to an old message of hers.

Jane: Could you please reply, no matter how late? Just reply when you read this. That’s all I need.

Christian: I will. I promise from now on I will.

And as Jane scrolled down the list of unread messages, she realized to her shock that he had done exactly that, replying even to messages she had sent more than a month ago.

Jane: You’re really not working, are you?

Christian: No. I haven’t gotten back to the office since you returned your engagement ring.

Jane: You’re with your ex. The girl with a split-personality name! I’m right, aren’t I?

Christian: First of all – that’s one hell of a way of describing Elizannie’s name. It’s accurate though. And no, you’re wrong. I’m not with her. I don’t want to be with her or anyone else. I want to be with you, only you.

Jane: If you just want to break off our engagement, then just say it!

Christian: That’s probably my line. But I’ve got good news – you can take it back anytime, and all you have to do is walk out of your building. You know the café across the street? I’ve rented out the second floor, and I’ll be staying here, waiting until you’re ready to talk again. You can come anytime, pet. Anytime. It doesn’t matter if weeks or months or even years have passed before you see this message. I mean it. Nothing will change because I love you, and I always will.

Jane: Anyone there?

Christian: I’m here. I’m sorry for the times I wasn’t there, but I’m here, now and always.

Jane: Baby?

Christian: Baby. Talk to me. I miss you. I love you.

Jane: Christian?

Christian: Jane. Are you there?

The last bit made her laugh, but it also made her realize she was crying.

Oh God, he was being so silly, and it wasn’t like him, and he had to know that, didn’t he?

The last ones were new messages.

Christian: I told my mother about you, and she says she wants to meet you whether or not we got back together again. Also – she thinks the same thing about Elizannie’s name.

---