She grimaced. “Yeah, I’ll dip into the trust fund. Trust fund baby, huh?”
“No, not a trust fund baby,” he said sternly. “My baby. My precious, sweet girl. I don’t give a shit whether you have a trust fund or not. What other people think doesn’t matter.”
“I know that logically, but I still feel this curl of shame in my gut when I think about using it. I can still hear what people call me. Sometimes, that’s what I dream about. My nightmares are filled with people yelling mean things at me. Things I saw them write online. And then Ericc is there . . . thenhim. . . and I can’t get away.”
His poor girl.
She’d been through so much.
“Anytime you hear that, you tell me,” he said sternly. “But you don’t need to dip into your trust fund. Kent keeps Archer on retainer for JSI. So you don’t need to pay.”
“But I don’t work for JSI,” she told him.
“But I do, and partners are included.”
“I’m not . . . I mean, we’re not . . .” Her face dipped down and he tucked a finger under her chin to tilt her head back.
“I want us to be,” he told her. “I want us to be partners. I want to call you my girlfriend. I want to kiss you, hug you, care for you. And I want you to come to Sanctuary Ranch with me, but if you can’t, then I’m staying right here with you. I’m not leaving you. I won’t ever leave you or push you away or take advantage of you. I promise.”
God.
He was all she’d ever wanted. Had she really considered not going with him? Was she insane?
Look at him.
Not only was he gorgeous, but he was the best person she knew.
And he wanted her.
It boggled her mind. But she knew there was only one answer.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I’ll come with you. I’ll be your girl.”
Whether she could be his Little girl, she didn’t know. But she trusted him to know whether that was a deal-breaker.
A slow smile crept across his face. “That’s my girl.”
That’s what she was.
His girl.
34
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked nervously.
They barely made it to the airport on time, and part of her had hoped they’d miss their flight. But they were now checked in and waiting for boarding.
They were in a lounge, but she still felt like people were staring at her. A couple of women across the room were whispering to each other and pointing at her.
Seriously. When were people going to forget about her? She’d grown up a lot sinceThe Benner Life. And she was dressed down in a pair of yoga tights and an oversized sweater.
“I knew I should have dyed my hair purple,” she muttered.
“What?” Corbin gave her an alarmed look.
“To disguise myself,” she said. “I think those women over there recognize me.”
“You think so?” He wrapped an arm around her.