Page 52 of The Billionaire Benefactor

“Tell me what to do, Jenny. I’d like to give this a try. If you need time, I’m about to go to training camp, then pre-season, then I’ll be busy for months anyway. I could wait. We could wait.”

“Roman, I don’t want to ask that of you. I don’t know that I can promise a different outcome months from now. I’m lost here and don’t know what to do. I like you. I think I could….”

She trailed off and his mouth felt dry. Could what? He willed her to finish the sentence, but she didn’t. He cleared his throat and spoke. “So, you aren’t saying no. You’re saying maybe, but it would be a maybe for later.”

“I feel like I should take some time to get moved, settle the kids into things, and just pray about what’s next. I haven’t done that at all. I just kind of dove in with you. It was too fast.”

Roman thought of their almost-kiss earlier that night, interrupted by his mother. “Okay,” he said.

“Okay?”

“Okay, I want to wait.”

“You do?” Jenny sounded surprised. Had she been trying to break up with him nicely, making up this waiting excuse?

“I do. You’ll have to tell me what this means, though. Can we still help you move next week? Can I call you or text? Can I see you sometime? Or is this a clean break kind of a thing? I don’t want to overstep, but you’ll need to tell me what you want from me.”

“Texting is fine. And calling—but maybe not every day. I’d like to get to know you. I mean, I want to wait to start something, but if I don’t even know you, what are we waiting for?”

“I can do that. What else?”

“Selfishly, I need help moving, but at the same time, I feel like I need to step back from seeing you in person.”

“I’m that attractive, huh?”

She laughed and the sound through the phone line made Roman smile. “And humble.”

“How about I send over a crew to help? I’ll be there in spirit, but I will give you space. Since I’m too good-looking.”

“Roman, I don’t want you spending—”

“Consider it done. No arguments.”

“Thank you, Roman.”

“Anything for you,” he said, then made a face realizing how not backing-off that sounded.

When they hung up the phone, he found Blake inside, watching sports highlights on ESPN. Roman threw himself onto the white leather couch and groaned.

“I guess you talked to Jenny? And it went…not so well?”

“What does it mean when you do crazy stuff for someone? Things you never would have thought in a million years you’d do?”

“Like what? What did you just agree to?”

Roman sat up and looked at Blake. “She wants me to wait for her. Maybe. She wants me to wait, but also didn’t say for sure she’d want to get together in the end.”

Blake took his hair out of the ponytail and shook it look around his shoulders. “I’m not sure I understand. But that does sound crazy. So, you’re waiting on a maybe?”

“That about sums it up.”

Blake began to laugh. He leaned his head back on the couch cushions as he laughed, his hair shaking. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“What? And also: shut up.”

“Roman Bennett in love.”

“I’m not in love.”

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