Page 71 of Broken Empire
“That’s awesome!” Shay said. “I know you were worried about not being able to find anything with your record.”
“Yeah. I mean, I’d be starting from the bottom on the trading floor, but it’s better than sitting around doing nothing.”
Shay raised a brow. “Just don’t tank any more stock prices, okay?”
I laughed. “Don’t worry, that was a one-off thing,” I said. “Anyway, what do you want to do tonight?”
“I thought we could go out to dinner. Have some drinks. Just enjoy each other’s company. Or is that too boring?”
“Nope. Sounds perfect.”
Shay’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “Good. Oh, also, Jessica is coming to stay with us this weekend. Is that okay with you?”
“Of course. How’s she doing?”
“She’s acing school and thinking about becoming a human rights lawyer when she grows up.” Shay raised her brows and cocked her head. “Also, she has a boyfriend now.”
“What? No way. She’s too young for that.”
“She’s almost sixteen.”
I shook my head. “Nope. She’ll always be a kid to me.”
“That’s exactly what I keep telling her,” Shay said, giggling softly. “Anyway, she wants pizza tomorrow, so we’ll be ordering that and watching a few rom-coms. Is that okay with you?”
“Any movie or food is fine by me. As long as I get to be with you.”
Shay squeezed my leg and smiled. Then her eyes widened. “Oh! Speaking of movies… I told you about the Cruel Summer thing last time I visited you, right?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Remember the student film I was meant to be in back in my first year at Bellingham?”
“Yup. About a stalker?”
“That’s the one. Anyway, the girl who wrote the script ended up selling it to some studio bigwig. They’re making it in time for Halloween next year.” Shay paused, forehead wrinkling as she stared at me. “Guess who just landed the lead role?”
“You, obviously, because you’re the absolute fucking best.”
“Yes!” Shay smiled brightly. “They’re filming it right here in New York, too, so I won’t be far away from you.”
“When does filming start?”
“In two months,” she replied. Her beautiful brown eyes were sparkling with excitement, and twin spots of red had appeared on her cheeks. “I can’t wait.”
Christ, she was so fucking beautiful. So goddamned perfect. I could worship at her feet for a thousand years and I still wouldn’t deserve her.
She always told everyone that I saved her life twice—once with Cooper, and then again with Robert and the rest of the Schöneberg Group—but she always forgot to mention that she saved me too. Saved me from becoming the cold, heartless monster that I was morphing into before I met her.
She made me grow every day. Made me feel wanted and needed. Loved me in a way that made me wake up every morning with a warm glow in my chest, even when I was sleeping on a thin mattress on the top bunk of a prison cell.
It didn’t matter how long I was locked away for. Shay’s love was fiery and passionate, but it was also unwavering. Even if I’d gone to prison for twenty years, I knew she would’ve been right there waiting for me when I got out, just like she was today.
“You know… I can’t wait either.” I steered the car onto the edge of the road and braked hard.
Shay stared at me, eyes wide. “What are you doing?”
“I told you,” I said, voice thick with need. “I can’t fucking wait.”
