Page 58 of Whatever You Need

“What are you doing?” she asked, looking confused as I stepped up to my dresser and stretched my hand into the back of the top drawer.

I pulled out a small box and handed it to her.

She tilted her head to the side. “What did you do?” She looked at me with amazement while I felt my heart beat wildly in my chest.

I stuffed my hands inside the front pockets of my jeans and met her eyes. “Open it.”

She looked up at me, and I hoped like hell that she liked it. She was careful as she opened the box and when she finally saw what was inside, she sucked in a breath. “An infinity bracelet.” She ran her fingers along the symbol and rubbed her thumb across the blue sea glass charm. I added that to the bracelet because it reminded me of the color of her eyes. “It’s beautiful.”

I would have given her anything at that moment just to see the smile on her face. That was until I saw the tear leak out of the corner of her eye. I brought my hands to her shoulders and pulled her to my chest. “Hey, what’s wrong? Do you not like it?”

When I saw the bracelet in the window, I knew it was simple, but it reminded me so much of her… and of us. Even though I haven’t promised her a future yet, this was my way of showing her that I didn’t see this ending anytime soon. I wasn’t ready to get down on one knee, but I was warming up to the idea of more with her.

She wrapped her arms around my waist, bringing us closer. “I love it. Did you know that I always wanted to get an infinity tattoo on the inside of my wrist?” I shook my head, because that was the first I had heard of it. “I never got one because I assumed it wouldn’t look very professional.”

“Amelia, almost everyone has a tattoo nowadays. If you want to get one, then get one.”

“I know and I may still do that,” she sniffed, “but now I can wear this and every time I look at it, I will think of you. This is the best gift I’ve ever received.”

I inhaled deeply and took a step back. “If you’re happy with it then what’s wrong?”

She placed a hand on my chest while holding the bracelet out with the other. “Nothing.” She shook her head, but I didn’t believe her. “Will you put this on me?” She held her arm out while I tightened the clasp and pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist.

There was a smile on her face as she stared at the bracelet, but I could tell there was something still bothering her. “Why don’t we get changed and pick something to watch on Netflix?” I suggested, placing my hand on her shoulders. “Does that sound good?”

She nodded her head and that uneasy feeling I had all day was really starting to settle in deeper.

Amelia went into the bathroom while I pulled a couple mugs out of the cabinet for hot chocolate. I was just about to grab a bag of microwave popcorn when I spotted her out of the corner of my eye. The sound of her sniffling caught my attention.

“Everything okay?”

Her voice was shaky as she patted the seat next to her on the couch. “Come sit with me. We need to talk.” She picked up the remote and turned the TV off.

I set her cup down and paused when I confirmed that she was, in fact, crying. “What’s going on?”

She pulled her legs underneath her and twisted her hands in her lap. “This is harder than I thought it would be.”

Every worst-case scenario ran through my mind. Patience wasn’t my strong suit, and there was nothing more unnerving than a man hearing the words “we need to talk” from his girlfriend. Fuck, was she breaking up with me? Right before Christmas?

“Please, just say what you have to say,” I said as calmly as I could.

She nervously adjusted the throw blanket around her shoulders. “I need to know where you see things going between us?”

I sat back and tilted my head to the side. “I’m not sure what you mean?”

“Do you see a future with me?”

I shoved a hand through my hair, wondering where she was going with this question. “I think we are off to a great start, but where is this coming from?”

“When we first met, I never imagined us getting this far.” Her words came out choppy while she fidgeted with the charm that dangled along her bracelet. “It was only supposed to be for one night, but I think we can both agree that somewhere along the way things became more serious.”

I scratched the back of my neck and felt my jaw tighten. “You don’t sound very happy about that. Am I missing something?”

She swallowed. “Yes… No… Let me explain. Before I met you, I agreed to an arrangement.”

My head came up in surprise. “Arrangement? What the hell does that mean?”

“I wanted more time to figure things out between us, but I’m not sure how much longer I have.” My hand tightened around the armrest. “My grandfather and his business partner are retiring early next year. There is an agreement in place that was drawn up years ago, that basically states that I will inherit fifty percent of the business. Edward Eastan, who is the other half of Eastan and West Corporation, is leaving his share to his grandson, Owen. There is one condition.” She looked down at the floor and made a show of stalling for time before bringing her tear-filled eyes back to mine. “Owen and I have to marry.”

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