Page 281 of Billionaire Temptations

There wasn’t one single thing I could hide from my sister, and sometimes it drove me crazy. She knew just by the slightest change in my facial expression or the subtle change in my voice something wasn’t right.

“I think Emily is changing her views on relationships.”

“What do you mean?” She frowned.

“She’s been acting strange the past couple of weeks, and last night, we were at a wedding. She kept saying things like how beautiful the bride was and how happy the couple seemed. Then she said that maybe they found true love and they’d make it.”

“And why is that such a bad thing?”

“Because it’s not who she is. It’s like all of a sudden, she jumped on the relationship train and is all for them. It bothers me.”

“Why? Are you scared she will want more from you than what your contract states?” Her brow arched.

“I don’t know. I hope not. I’m still the same person I have always been and have the same beliefs.”

“I changed my beliefs, and I think you might too.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Am I, Jackson?”

“Yes, Jules. You are. I’m not in love with her if that’s what you’re hinting at. Sure, I love to spend time with her. We have fun together, and the sex is out of this world. But that’s as far as it goes. I like things with Emily just the way they are or were.”

“But you just said she’s changing, and it’s bothering you.”

“It is bothering me because I just feel like she’s not the same woman I entered into the contract with.”

“Fuck the contract. Emily is the same person. She had an epiphany, Jackson. She now has a father that she never knew about, and she’s starting to question everything because what she was taught and told was by a woman with a broken heart. I have never seen you as happy as you are when you’re with her.”

“Yeah, I’m happy because I know there won’t be any bullshit, pressure, or commitment. We had a deal.”

“Well, your deal sucks ass, and you need to take a step back and reevaluate your life. I did. Why do you think I said yes to Carter’s proposal? Do you know how scared I was when he knelt and asked me to marry him? Any normal girl would have been giddy with excitement, but not me. I was shaking with fear. All I saw was a future of everything that could go wrong instead of seeing the beauty of what he’s already brought into my life. We can’t live in fear of the future.”

“And that makes me happy for you, Jules. But I’m not changing my mind, and no one can make me. I stand by how I feel, and that’s one commitment I’m not about to break.”

She took in a long, deep breath. “Then prepare yourself, Jackson, because the road to hell is always paved with good intentions. Thanks for lunch. I need to go home and get some sleep.”

Emily

I stepped inside the shop and locked the door behind me. Turning on the lights, I stood and stared at everything I had accomplished. I stared at the dream that I’d always wanted. Walking over to the espresso bar, I made myself an espresso, leaned over the cosmic gray granite countertop, and thought about Jackson. It saddened me. He saddened me with the way he abruptly canceled our time together today. I knew he felt I was more than just a companion. I could feel it in his kiss, touch, and how he made love to me. Maybe if I just stuck to our negotiation, he’d eventually see that I was more than a girl who agreed to a relationship contract. Did I regret doing it? Not at all. At that time, it was the perfect thing for me; a time when I held the same beliefs as him until my world fell off its axis and changed everything. But his world was still the same, or maybe even worse, since the announcement came forth about his parents reconciling. Now he truly believed that relationships were as fucked up as they could get, and I didn’t blame him. I thought too much about him, just like my mother probably did with my father. Hence the reason we had frequent conversations about independence and having control over our own emotional state. But she had years of practice for that. This was something new to me, and I was still learning how to deal with it.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

TWO WEEKS LATER

Emily

As I was changing the clothes on one of the mannequins, Evelyn walked into the shop with a wide grin across her face.

“Good morning, my beautiful friend.” She kissed my cheek.

“Good morning.” I smiled. “Who put some happy pills in your coffee this morning?”

“I’m just high on life.” She twirled around.

“Okay. What’s going on?”

“Dylan and I are moving in together!” she screeched.

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