Page 93 of The Wrong Promise

She doesn’t say a word, stands, and hangs up her coat. Then she removes her gloves and scarf before sliding off her dress and stockings. She leaves her bra and panties on and then slips on pink silk pajamas.

Silently, I hold back the covers for her to climb under. As soon as she is settled, I go to the other side, step out of my jeans, and climb under the covers with her. I wasn’t lying when I said I wasn’t going to leave her.

“Nothing is going to happen,” she murmurs.

“I know.” I slide closer to spoon her. “I only want to lie here with you.”

“She didn’t trust you,” she whispers.

“Who?”

“Piper. She asked me about us before she died. It was like she was giving me a warning, and I should listen. She said that you can’t base a relationship on great sex.”

“This is true.” I search for her hand under the blankets and hold her delicate fingers.

“She also asked if we had meaningful conversations and then I realized we didn’t because we have nothing in common.”

I now see where she is headed with this. “We are different, Zara, but we also talk. I like being with you. Really like being with you.”

“I don’t think we should be together.” She turns her head and looks me directly in the eye. “We both know it’snot going to last, and I can’t go through the pain of losing someone I care for again.”

“Why do you think we won’t last?” Her bloodshot eyes search mine as though I should know the answer. “Because your work friends said so?” I can’t help being pissed off because whatever they said, Zara is beginning to believe them.

“No. Because of your history,” she murmurs. “Please go. It will be harder if we drag this out.”

No way in hell am I going to let this slide.

“Everybody has a history. It doesn’t depict our future. Your past helps define the path you take and moving forward, I know what I don’t want. To keep repeating the past. Especially when, for most of my life, I searched for the comfort of the physical kind from women to who I’d never make promises. Never commit to.” I take it one step further. “Maybe it was my upbringing…”

She makes a noise that I’m making this up.

“While people see my family’s wealth, they don’t see children who are left to be raised by nannies and other staff since my father’s priority was work, and he was absent most nights. My mother did the best she could but often accompanied him on his business trips. She was also lonely.” I clear my throat. “I’m not making excuses for my past sexual preferences, but I need you to understand that I like you, Zara, a lot. And I have absolutely no desire to be with anyone else.” She stares at me, but my words fail to soften her expression.

“Really? Enough to have a baby with me?”

I swallow hard. “That’s a big jump from liking someone.”

“Tell me about it. The week before Christmas, when I was vomiting, I was alsolate.” She sits up with more fire in her eyes. “I had to deal with the notion I could be pregnant and then to find out my friend died. All I could think aboutwas how you’d react. And then, when I lost Piper, the one person who told me to be careful of you, I took it as a warning. It gave me a glimpse into the future.”

“And what did you see?” I shoot back because I didn’t get a chance to defend myself in her scenarios.

“I was alone with a baby. You couldn’t commit to me, and I understood because I knew the deal when I met you. I was a good mom.” She gives me a long look before turning back to her side.

“I believe you would be a good mom. And if I knew about the baby, I wouldn’t have deserted you.”

“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you and chose to be a single mother,” she murmurs. “I didn’t want to force you into anything. I wanted you to love me for me. And it didn’t happen.”

Fuck this.

“Firstly, think all you want, but it’s not how it would play out in reality. I would be by your side because…” I let out a long sigh, needing this. Th—the moment of truth. I hope I don’t spook her. “I love you, Zara.” She turns her head, eyes wide. “I fucking love you.”

She rolls over to face me. Tears streaming down her cheek. “Do you mean it? Because I can’t play any more games of pretend.”

My thumbs stroke her beautiful face, feeling the emotion her big brown eyes hold. “I do mean it. You’re the reason I’m here.”

“I’m the reason you’re here… in London?”

I nod once. “While there were viable business deals, the appeal broadened the day you accepted the job offer. At first, I made a promise to help boost your career and find yourself again because you looked fucking done with everything that night we first… anyway, it became clear to me that I wanted to try with you. Being here in London gave usa chance to be together without the influence or opinions of our family and friends back home.”

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