Page 26 of Sparks Still Fly

“Just in case, what, Maeve? In case you want to take me for all I’m worth and make yourself even richer?” She scrunches her eyebrows and scoffs.

Huh. She has no idea.

“Yeah. Right, Owen. I’m going to try to take you for all your millions. Sure.” She laughs, though there’s no humor in it.

“Billions,” I mumble. I remove an invisible fluff from my shirt, not looking at her when I speak.

“Excuse me?” Her eyebrows are high on her forehead as multiple questions play out in her eyes.

“It’s billions. I sold Aegis Cyber for billions, not millions.” I pause, looking up at her stunned face, and I’d be a damn liar if I said it didn’t feel a little nice to see the shock play out over her features. I don’t like talking about money, but she’s my wife, so she might as well know.

“You... But... Wait, what?”

I ignore her rambling and continue. “I don’t want a prenup, though.” I let out a breath, doing my best not to be too much of an asshole about all of this. “But if there’s anything you need, Maeve, anything you want, it’s yours. Lainey mentioned you might want to get out of LA for a while. I have a house with a very detached, very private guesthouse. It’s yours if you want it. I know it’s not much, but...”

“It’s not in LA?” She’s found her voice, it seems.

“No, it’s not. But it’s not far. It’s a good sized property with nothing but mountains and horses for neighbors, and I’m sure it goes without saying, but it’s secure.”

The corners of her lips turn up slightly. “I’ll take it,” she breathes out. “Please.”

Sweet Jesus, did I just invite my wife to live with me at the house I bought for her? Fucking hell, what am I doing? Why does all common sense go out the window when I’m around this woman?

The thought makes me dizzy. I’m about to bring a baby home and now also a wife who once told me she never wanted to be married or have kids. This isn’t the life she wants for herself, and yet here we are.

“Owen?”

I snap out of my mental freak-out and nod my head. “Yeah. Of course. I’ll text you the details. I can have the guesthouse ready as soon as you need.”

“Right. Okay. Thanks. Well, call me if you need anything. For the baby. Or for the lawyer. Or whatever.”

I stand up, assuming we’re finished talking about this for now. I need to clear my head. I need to get back to Ojai. I need to... I need to not be so near her right now.

“Yeah. Thanks. We’ll talk soon, then.”

With one final look in her direction I shove my hands into my pockets and walk away.

I pack my things and get out of Vegas. I need to prepare for the arrival of two girls and I’m not ready. Not even close.

JAMES FAMILY CHAT

OWEN:

Help! What do I get for a baby? Her room is empty and ready, but I’m just staring at it not knowing what needs to go in it.

LAINEY:

We got you, big bro! Can I make a shopping list and send you the links?

MA:

How do I add things to this list?

OWEN:

Can I just give you my credit card number?

LAINEY:

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