Page 56 of The Enemies With Benefits Deal

“I’m not chasing his approval,” I say, my words clipped. “I’ve been working hard for what I want.”

“Which is to please him and take over his company. To make him think that you’re worthy of being in charge, even though you could have started your own company years ago and shown him who you were.”

“You don’t understand.” My mouth goes dry as I focus on the hedges at the back of the property, small white flowers blooming on them.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Your parents didn’t look down on you. They would have been happy with whatever you decided to do with your life. They wouldn’t have cared if you felt like living under a bridge as long as you were happy.”

“And you’re thirty-one, sitting at the edge of my pool in the middle of the day, looking like you’re on the edge of a breakdown because you’ve spent your whole life trying to convince the one person who should love you unconditionally that you’re worth something.”

His words are stab wounds over and over again, exposing every horrible thought I’ve had in the middle of the night and splitting them wide open.

Mac rubs a hand over his jaw. “I’ve been worried about you for a while, Grayson. It’s not healthy to keep chasing after your father like this, hoping that one day he’s going to love you the way you want to be loved.”

“And when did you become a therapist?”

“The first time you pushed Jade away.”

I sigh and look over at him, wishing that I had just stayed home and thrown myself into work like normal. “Look, I’m almost in the CEO position. I just need to wait until after the launch, and then I’ll be there.”

“And what’s it going to cost you in the long run?” Mac gets up and heads back inside to the fridge, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

He’s right about the cost.

I know that I’m miserable right now, and I know that Dad is never going to be the kind of father I’ve always hoped he would be. I’m not naïve about that.

Things are getting better between the two of us, though. It’s like he’s looking at me and seeing me for the first time.

But Jade has always seen me when she’s looked at me.

The realization that I’ve chosen the wrong person to prioritize is staggering. It hits me like a ton of bricks, forcing the air from my lungs.

Mac comes back outside with his own bottle of beer and sits down beside me. “Are we ready to talk about how you’re going to give Jade the biggest apology of her life because she deserves one, even if she doesn’t want anything to do with you?”

“That sounds a lot like you telling me to swallow my pride.” I get up and grab my beer, downing the rest of it.

“I am. You’ve spent too long strutting around like the only person that matters. You care about this woman, and I think it’s time you showed her.”

“I’ve ruined too much to try and fix it now.”

All I want to do is try to forget how much she means to me.

It hurts too much to know that even if I do apologize, she will never take me back.

My entire life, I’ve always been my own worst enemy, and now I’ve taken the one person who truly believed in me and shoved her away for good.

But at least I got what I always wanted.

Right?

CHAPTER 20

JADE

Irun my fingers along the slinky maroon dress, slipping them through the slit that’s supposed to climb high up my legs.

It’s a beautiful dress, and it was bought with the intention of having Grayson’s jaw hit the floor at the launch party.

---