Page 49 of The Billionaire Benefactor

Chapter 15

By the time he had finished arguing with his mother, Jenny was gone. Roman stood by the curb for a few minutes, disappointment and anger washing over him. He wasn’t angry with Jenny, but himself. And with his mother. He stood on the curb, looking down at his shoes, until a cab driver hopped out and asked for an autograph. After signing, he ducked back inside and texted Jenny.

Roman:I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to get caught up with my mom and then you were gone.

Jenny:I’m sorry, too! I didn’t want to leave you, but Lucy needed me and I couldn’t wait.

Roman:I understand. Tell the Little Princess that Mr. Roman says hi.

Jenny:She’s asleep, but I’ll tell her tomorrow. Thanks for a lovely night. I’m headed to sleep before I turn into a pumpkin.

Roman:I’d love to do it again sometime.

Jenny:Let’s talk this week.

Roman stared at the message. That could mean she wanted to talk about when they could go out. But it could also mean she thought that they needed to have a talk, which was not good. If she wanted to talk after everything that went down tonight, most likely it was a breakup talk.

Sighing, Roman put the phone in his pocket. He didn’t want to stay, but he didn’t want to go home. He and his mom needed a bit of a break. For the first time since his father died, it really sank in that he needed to get his own place. He had been thinking about it for a while, trying to gauge how much his mom needed him. Moving home had been the right thing to do after his father died, but she was starting to overstep boundaries.

When he found Jenny after his mother had pulled her away, her face had looked pained. She was hiding out in a hallway near the bathrooms alone, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and her hands in the pockets of the dress. He knew his mother must have said something, but Jenny didn’t mention it. Based on their argument, he had a good idea.

He found Blake in the crowded room. “Can I crash at your place?”

Blake looked surprised. “Of course. Why? Where’s Jenny?”

Roman sighed. “She had to get home. And my mom…” He shook his head, too irritated to put it into words.

“Say no more. Did Mrs. B get a little too involved?”

Roman grunted.

“Gotcha,” Blake said. “We need to stay for a bit? Or should we go now?”

“I think I should stay for another hour or so and then we can bolt. I can call a driver or I can just ride with you if you drove. That work?”

“I’ve got my car. You can catch me up later, but are things okay?”

Roman hated that he didn’t know the answer to this question. “I’m not sure.”

Blake gave him a hard pat on the shoulder. “We’ll talk later. If you want.”

Roman nodded. The list of people he needed to talk to was growing longer: Jenny. His mother. Blake. When his mother stopped him just before he left with Jenny, it had first seemed to be about him leaving early.

“You’ve got a responsibility to be here,” she’d said.

“Mom, Jenny’s daughter is having issues and needs her home right now. I’m going with her. This is more important.”

“Roman, you hardly know this woman. These are not your children. Your loyalty isn’t with them. It’s to this charity, your team, and your family. If you leave, it looks bad on me as well. This isn’t just your reputation. It’s the Bennett family reputation. Mine. Your father’s.”

Bringing up his father was like a trump card. Roman hated that she used it like that. His mother wasn’t petty. Generally, she was kind and pleasant and good-hearted. But since his father died, she had been more possessive of Roman and more concerned with this idea of their family name. He understood it. Most of the time it pricked his heart with compassion for her, because he knew it came from a place of fear and loss. Tonight, though, he didn’t have the patience for it.

“Mom, I love you. But I can’t be consumed with holding up some idealized Bennett standard you have in your head.”

“You can’t let this woman derail your life, Roman! You love saving people and she’s looking for a savior. It’s not love! You’re not thinking clearly. You aren’t ready to be a dad to some other man’s children. The fact that you’re even thinking about abandoning your commitments like this shows me how messed up your head is right now!”

“This doesn’t sound like you, Mom!” he’d said. Shouted, really. Even if she deserved it, he felt ashamed thinking about the fact that he’d yelled at his mother. “You and Dad had something amazing, but was it perfect from the start or at every moment? No! This isn’t a fairytale. Life is messy. I’ve thought about this and my judgment isn’t cloudy. Stop trying to tell me how I need to act or what I need to do. I’m not a child.”

At some point, he knew he should apologize for speaking harshly. But he hadn’t said anything untrue. His main regret was not hopping into the car with Jenny.

---