Page 31 of The Billionaire Benefactor

All of the stress and the mess of emotions that she had held inside for the past few weeks and even longer came flooding out. There was nothing Jenny could do but let it go. Her face and hands were wet and her throat was raw from the sobs when they finally slowed, the sobs turning into shudders.

Still Roman held her. She felt his breath against her hair, as though his lips were right there. She froze. The thought of his lips made her want to turn toward him, to feel his lips press against her skin. Guilt raged within her and she pulled away.

“I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”

“You are not a mess. Please don’t be sorry. I’m sorry that you’re going through this.” He waited.

Her voice had regained its strength when she spoke again. “His mistress called. She said she was his fiancée and that he promised her money. She wants what he promised or she’s going to sue me, make the whole thing into a public spectacle. Matt and Lucy don’t know. Not about any of it. I don’t want them to think of their father that way. It’s hard enough to go through what they’re going through. Finding out about this would be devastating.”

“How much is she asking for?” Roman asked.

“She didn’t say. Just that she would call back and I should be ready to accept her terms when she does.”

“Is that something…” Roman trailed off, watching her face. “Could you afford to do that right now? If it came down to that?”

Jenny shook her head. “Even if we won in court, if she tries to fight, I’m not sure I can handle the legal fees on top of everything else. Hank left some debt that I didn’t know about and had to pay off. Not a ton, but enough to make it difficult. I’m planning to sell the house and move into something a little smaller and closer to my parents. I’m going to have to get a job. There was life insurance, but with the debt and the funeral and all these unexpected expenses, there’s just nothing left.”

Admitting this to Roman was difficult and she didn’t know why she kept talking. There was just something about him that made her feel like she could tell him anything. It was funny to remember how off-putting he’d been the first time she met him, when he showed up with the giant check on the front porch. They’d met just over a week ago and now she was sharing all her problems with him.

“Jenny, how can I help? If you need legal help, I have a lawyer you can use.”

“Roman…I don’t think I could afford him.”

“He’s on retainer for my family. It’s not like it would add that much to what we have him doing. Please, don’t even worry about it.”

“That’s the thing—I do worry about it. I couldn’t possibly accept any more help from you. It’s too much already.”

Roman huffed. “I’ve hardly done anything. You wouldn’t let me give you money. I helped fix your fence and the guys put in sod. That’s just being neighborly.”

“But you’re not my neighbor.”

Roman caught and held her eye. “That reminds me of a story. I may butcher it a little, so bear with me. Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? At the end Jesus asks who acted like the hurt man’s neighbor. The answer was the Samaritan, the one who helped him. The person helping was the neighbor. Jenny, I’m trying to be a neighbor to you. I have the means. God gave it to me. I’m trying to give it away, freely, without expectation of something in return. Will you let me be a neighbor to you?”

Roman put his arm around her again and she didn’t resist. If she had a choice, she’d stay in his arms all day. The more time she spent with him, the more of who he was unfolded, revealing a man she could fall for. Burying her face in his chest meant he couldn’t see that she was on the verge of tears. Again. She felt like all she did was cry these days. When would she dry up? It was exhausting to have such raw emotions all the time.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Just a thank you is fine. Let me have this woman’s number. I’ll have my lawyer contact her first.”

Jenny wanted so badly to accept his help, but it felt like so much. “Roman—”

He shushed her with a finger to her lips. The touch stilled her. All she could think about was kissing his fingertip. When she quieted, he moved his hand away. She hoped that he couldn’t tell the effect that small touch had on her.

“Do you want to have to talk to her again?” he asked.

Jenny whispered against his chest. “No.”

“Then let me have my lawyer handle it. It doesn’t sound like this woman has a leg to stand on, legally. If he never put her in the will, then it should be quick and painless.”

“Just don’t try to pay her off.”

He held up his hands. “It’s just a phone call.”

She gave him a look. “I still remember when you showed up on my porch with a cardboard check.”

“Yeah, that was dumb, huh?” He gave a charming grin, the kind that had her thinking about what he would have looked like as a boy.

“It was kind. Just too much. But paying this woman anything—that’s where I draw the line.”

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