Page 51 of Dr. Stone
“Close to a month, maybe? I don’t know. I’ve lost track.”
“Then let’s map it out,” Nat said, clapping her hands like a teacher with homework.
“We don’t need answers tonight,” Avery chuckled, trying to redirect.
“The hell we don’t.” Nat shot Avery a look, then turned back to me with a grin that promised trouble. “Tell me—what’s Captain Smooth over there doing besides hauling you to events that scare off half the female population? Has he given you anything real? Something that doesn’t come wrapped in five-star service and a champagne tower?”
I let out a shaky laugh, though my stomach was in knots. I didn’t need this shit right now, not when my mind was already a war zone of Jace versus Titus.
“Our first date was just dinner,” I said. “Then a few more nights out. He even flew me to one of his resorts in Mexico for the weekend. But nothing like this.” I waved vaguely at the sparkle and excess surrounding us. “Not a grand opening built in his mother’s honor.”
“Where?” Nat leaned in, eyes glittering.
“At Solara,” Avery answered with a grin, clearly enjoying this.
Nat’s whistle was low and filthy. “Baby girl, if you’re into the luxe life, Titus might just edge out our sexy Dr. Stone. But—” she tipped her glass my way, “I’m betting the good doctor’s the one who actually keeps you up at night.”
She wasn’t wrong. And that truth made me want to drain my champagne in one gulp.
“You’re being honest with yourself and very wise,” Nat said, angling her champagne flute toward me like a dare. “Now tell me, how’s Stone doing in the dating department?”
“He’s… different.” I adjusted the glass in my hand, trying not to fidget. “He helped me take my sick kid to the ER to see his pediatrician friend. And he remembered I once told him about my favorite childhood pet. When someone needed a Yorkie rehomed, he adopted him for me.”
Nat’s brows shot up. The woman who thrived on diamonds and gossip actually pressed a hand to her heart. “Jace did that? The playboy who usually treats remorse like a four-letter word? That man went sentimental and adorable?”
“It caught me off guard too,” I admitted, while Avery’s knowing smile stretched wider, like she’d been waiting for me to slip.
“Honey, this is simple math,” Nat declared, swirling her glass before pointing it across the room toward Titus. “On one side, you’ve got Captain Smooth. Yachts, private chefs, diamonds, red carpets, the whole glittering circus. He’ll spoil you rotten, and I’d bet money the sex is a religious experience.” She leaned closer, voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. “And then you’ve got Jace Stone. World-class in the bedroom—don’t even deny it, your eyes light up at the sound of his name.” She chuckled when my pulse betrayed me. “But he’s also spoiling you emotionally, sweetheart. That’s bigger than money, especially from a man who’s got more of it than most countries combined.”
I exhaled, the weight of her words sinking in, squeezing something tight in my chest. “Right.”
Nat tilted her glass at me like she’d just solved a riddle. “Face it. Jace already has your heart. Titus is a fairytale you’re sampling. But Jace is the real thing, standing right behind your ribcage whether you admit it or not.” Her grin curved slow and wicked. “And from where I’m standing, game over.”
We all laughed as the subject moved back to Titus’s grand opening, and even though Nat was going hard tonight, I welcomed the nosy dive into my dating life. She made it flirty and fun, but underneath it, I was starting to realize I was wasting time with Titus.
I felt it the moment we stepped into his world—surrounded by people who lived for the sparkle. I didn’t belong here, and I didn’t even want to. I had a beautiful son at home, a ridiculous little dog, and a man who was offering sincerity instead of charm.
Titus and I were playing a superficial game. Fun, distracting, and filled with luxury—but still a game. What Jace was giving me felt more real, more my style. And even though his family carried the same weight as the rest of these elites, I’d never have known if Ash and Avery hadn’t told me.
Something inside me finally clicked. I needed to find out why I kept being pulled to Jace. Stringing Titus along across the Western Hemisphere was just wasting everyone’s time. I’d miss him, but we’d never gone deep enough for it to hurt.
I wasn’t sad. Just ready. After this weekend, I’d stop pretending—and finally see what could happen with Jace.
TWENTY-THREE
Andie
Titus escortedme to my private villa like the perfect, exotically wealthy man he was. His constant flattery was interesting, but it felt hollow after talking to the other women tonight. Thinking back on our time together, beyond the gorgeous man spoiling me with riches beyond what any normal woman could dream of, I realized Titus was all surface. He seemed genuinely attracted to me, but now it all felt like empty words. I couldn’t tell if he was waiting for me to make the first move or holding out for some grand moment to push past the dreamy romance and material things.
Don’t get me wrong, Titus was a lovely man and a blast to be around. He had an intoxicating kind of energy. Being with him meant living in the moment—no pressure, no expectations, and absolutely no risk of heartbreak. That’s what made him easy. He was luxury in motion, the kind of man who made every hour feel like a celebration.
But Jace was something else entirely. He wasn’t offering the escape. He was offering thehome. He was slowly and steadily winning my heart, speaking to the part of me that had been aching for something real ever since my son’s father walked out. Titus couldn’t touch that depth, but God, he was fun to fall into for a while.
I smiled as I leaned into his arm, which I held as he led me through tall palms and flowering vines. The air was thick with the scent of night-blooming jasmine and the warm, salty breeze from the ocean I heard crashing below, where the resort clung to the cliffside.
“Damn, Titus,” I said as the villa came into view.
“Do you love it?” he asked, pride curling around every word the way it always did when he spoke of his accomplishments. He lifted my hand and brushed a kiss across my knuckles. “Your approval means more than anyone else’s, love. I do hope you know that.”
