Page 151 of Bitter Rival

A part of me would love nothing more than to take him up on his offer. I want that, too.

But I don’t know if I can trust him and I’m not ready to put my heart on the line again.

I don’t want to keep repeating the same old patterns.

I don’t want to keep putting myself out there only to be disappointed when he shows his true colors.

I stand from the sofa and he comes to stand in front of me.

“Why now? Not so long ago, you hated me and now you’re asking me to come back with you and… what? Pick up where we left off? As what? Would it still be just sex and nothing more?”

“It was never just sex. And I never really hated you.” He takes my hands in his and brushes his thumbs over my knuckles. “I wanted to hate you because of who your mother is. But I couldn’t. Because you’re you. I want you to have the vineyard. I want you to have it all. As long as you’re mine, what’s mine is yours.”

He gives my hands a gentle squeeze and I yank them away, clasping them behind my back.

I wonder if he realizes that was another stipulation. If you choose me, you can have it all. But I guess that’s how relationships work.

“I choose you, Daisy. Above all else. I. Choose. You. If you want me on my knees for you, I’ll do it.”

I shake my head. “I don’t want that. All I want is for us to be equals. But you never treated me like an equal. You were too busy trying to control me and everything around you.”

He blows out a frustrated breath and pushes his hands through his hair. I can feel the tension radiating from his body. “You are my equal. Come back to California with me and give me a chance to prove it.”

This is so like him to show up here unannounced and expect me to drop everything and run to do his bidding. “How do I know you’re not just saying all this because you hate to lose? How do I know I’m not just some prize to be won? How do I know I can trust you?”

He looks me in the eye. “Try me, princess. Take a chance on me.”

God. There’s nothing I want more than to say yes. But I’ve been here before.

Finn was always making empty promises, and whenever I’d agree to give him another chance, he’d be on his best behavior for a while. But inevitably he’d go back to his old ways.

People don’t change overnight, and I’m not delusional enough to believe that Beckett has.

This is the same man who told me he doesn’t believe in second chances and yet here he is, asking for one.

I’ve always been too impulsive in the past and let my heart rule my head but this time I need to use logic.

This man hurt me. Lied to me. Kept me in the dark. Controlled and manipulated and badgered me until he got his own way.

Who’s to say he won’t do it again?

“I need to think about this. I need time.” I shake my head, trying to clear it. “I can’t just come running back to you because you’ve decided that now you don’t want to live without me.” I square my shoulders and draw myself up to my full height.

I’m proud of myself for standing up to him and telling him what I need.

“Okay.” He nods slowly and strokes his jaw. Knowing him, he’s probably trying to come up with a new angle. “I’ll wait.”

“You’ll wait?” I repeat. He nods.

Beckett is not a patient man. He takes what he wants and demands that it’s done on his terms and to his specifications and rules.

“How long? A week or two? A month?”

“There’s no time limit. No expiration date.” Our eyes lock and hold. “Originally, I was going to fight for you and refuse to leave until you agreed to come back with me. But that’s exactly what you’d expect of me. You deserve unconditional love and respect.”

Is he saying that he loves me?

He takes a step back. “So I’ll wait for you, Daisy.” He scoops up his coat from the arm of the sofa and puts it on like he’s preparing to walk out the door right now.

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