Page 37 of A Package Deal

I owed Paisley a huge thank-you for getting Em to open up about her past. Bottling up all the hurt and anger from five years ago was clearly turning this tiny woman into a strung-tight, stressed-out, lonely woman. Turned out all I had to do was get her sauced on lemon drops and she’d be so free with her emotions she’d voluntarily hug me. The least I could do was show her vulnerability in return. Thankfully, I had no issue with exposing my underbelly.

“I know what it’s like to be hurt by people you trust. I can’t tell you the number of women I’ve dated who’ve sworn they loved me and then when the gifts quit coming, they dumped me to find someone else with deeper pockets. I like spoiling the people around me, but I tend to get taken advantage of.” I waved a hand between us when Em gave me a skeptical look. “I know. Boo-hoo, the poor millionaire complaining about something. But if you could spend a day in my shoes, realizing I can’t trust anyone but my immediate family to not use me as a cash cow, then you’ll see that we aren’t that different.”

Em shook her head. “I would never be seen in snakeskin boots.”

My lips wobbled. “Did you just crack a joke in the middle of a serious conversation?”

Em’s eyebrows, uncharacteristically smooth and unmarred by a frown, lifted. “Maybe…”

The woman was so unfamiliar with flirting, she wasn’t sure she was even doing it. That made me smile. “I like that sense of humor you keep buried under your loud bark.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Are you calling me a dog?”

My hand landed on her knee, a natural thing for me to do when speaking to someone, but we both froze. Our gazes dropped to where my hand covered her knee completely. I could feel the heat of her beneath me, the silky soft satin of her skin where her dress didn’t cover. My thumb danced across her knee, desperate to feel more of her. I heard Em inhale softly.

I lifted my head, trying to get the conversation back on track, despite how badly I wanted to slip my fingers under the hem of that dress and explore her strong legs. I bet her skin was even softer on the inner flesh of her thighs.

“I appreciate you trusting me with Georgia. You were right yesterday. She does give me purpose. Gives me someone to shower my gifts upon, knowing she’s not taking advantage of me.”

Em finally looked at me again, the line between her eyebrows back. “Why didn’t you get married? Have kids? You’re so good with her.”

I smiled through the twinge of pain that hit my chest, knowing that role in life had passed me by. “Remember the taking-advantage-of-me thing? I wasn’t lying. I couldn’t find one woman who would want to be by my side if all the money dried up. That was my only criteria, but I just never found her.”

Em snorted. Loudly. “That’s ridiculous! What kind of women were you dating?”

I bit back a genuine smile at her outrage. “All kinds. Friends of friends. Women I met through my business.”

“Models?” she asked with venom in her voice.

I shrugged. “A few of those. But I also dated baristas and teachers and even the woman who altered my suits. I just never found the right one, I guess. Always thought I’d get married and have kids. Retire early so I could be fully present in their teenage lives. Just never happened.”

My gaze had slid away, studying the fireplace where Mom kept endless framed photos of us boys from over the years. Clearly, I’d truly hit my midlife crisis if I felt like I was about to blubber over not having framed photos of my own kids. Em’s hand landed softly on top of mine, squeezing tight. My gaze flew back to her.

“I think we should get a divorce,” she said quietly.

I flipped my hand over and gripped hers, needing to feel the solid metal of the band around her finger. “What? Why?” Alarm had all those sad feelings fleeing in a second.

Em shook her head, layers of light hair dancing around her shoulders. “I refuse to be one of those women who take advantage of you. We have to annul the marriage. Immediately.”

“No.”

She blinked. “Yes.”

“Fuck no. I wanted to help you. I had to practically strongarm you and pin you to the ground to get you to marry me in the first place. No take-backsies.”

Em huffed, but I squeezed her hand tighter.

“Let me do this. I love that little girl and I know she’s better off with you. I had no plans to marry anyway and it was my idea. That’s not taking advantage of someone. That’s playing smart.”

I could see the fight go out of Em. Her spine relaxed and her shoulders came away from her ears. “Okay. As long as you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” I said instantly.

“But…” She trailed off, giving me a hesitant look. “Even though we’re legally married, you can’t take over my life. You can’t just jump in and save the day all the time. Calling around for subcontractors? That crosses a line and makes me incredibly uncomfortable.”

Now I was frowning. “I never meant to make you uncomfortable. I just wanted to help.”

She squeezed my fingers, laying her other hand on top. “I know that now. You feel the need to help people and it’s a beautiful thing. But running my business independently is something I need. I can’t give a man full control of my personal life and my business. Not ever again.”

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