Page 31 of The Husband Contract
“He probably regrets being such a jackass. Even rich men have feelings,” Katherine says. “Maybe he’s ashamed of himself. Maybe in the light of day, he saw how hot you were and thought,Fuck, I nearly screwed it up with this beautiful woman, and now he’s overcompensating because he wants you to see that he’s a nice guy.”
“Can billionaires be nice guys, though?”
“I don’t know.” Brielle laughs. “I’ve never met a billionaire before. But I agree with Katherine—maybe he regrets what happened. Just have fun. You only live once.”
“I know.” I take a deep breath. “It almost feels too good to be true. I just feel like there’s something really special between us, and it scares me. I’ve never felt this way about aman. I’ve never met a man who, when he looks at me, makes me feelseen. Do you know what I mean?”
“Not personally,” Katherine says. “Though I’ve seen a lot of movies where a guy looks at a woman and I can tell he’s really into her, and I always think to myself,Man, I wish that were me.”
“You wish you were in a movie?” Brielle teases.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying! Why are you being so obtuse?”
Brielle giggles. “Oh, Katherine, I was just joking. I want a man, as well.”
“Girls, we’re all single, so let’s not get it twisted. None of us has a man. We’re all just trying to get by and save money and finally buy our hotel,” I remind them both.
“I know,” Katherine says. “Sigh, but you’re closer to having a real boyfriend.”
“Not quite.”
“I do have some news, though.”
“Oh? What’s that?” I ask.
“I spoke to Stacy down at the pizza joint on 5thStreet, and she says I can work on Fridays, delivering pizza. She says it’s about a hundred dollars in tips on Friday nights, so I’m going to do it.”
“Oh, man,” I say. “I thought Friday night was going to be our night. For the three of us.”
“I know, but we need to make more money. I don’t know how much longer I can keep working for Charlotte. She called me when I was at work today, and she was such a bitch.” Katherine sounds pissed. “If she weren’t your cousin and out of town so much, I would have told her off and quit.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I groan. “I wish I could say something to her.”
“But I know that you can’t. She doesn’t care. Hermother, Mildred, should really say something, but no. Now that Charlotte’s won the lottery for a second time, she’s kissing her ass even more.” Katherine’s voice is louder. “How did that bitch get so lucky?”
“I know. I wish she’d share the lottery numbers with me,” I say, giggling as I pull up to the driveway. “Hey, I’m parking. I’ll be up to the apartment in a little bit. Pour a glass of wine for me, okay?”
“Okies,” Katherine teases, and we hang up.
I park the car, turn off the ignition, and sit there with my thoughts for a few moments. I’m excited to see my friends, excited to be with them, but I just need to be by myself and think.
I stare down at my hands—the hands that were clasped in Sebastian’s just hours before. I look into the rearview mirror and stare at my face. I’m still slightly flushed from the cool night air. My blue eyes look tired, my mascara almost gone. I touch my lips lightly, lips that touched Sebastian’s just a few hours ago. I close my eyes and think of his firm embrace, the way I squeezed his muscles as I slid down to the ground, the way he’d held me, the way he’d looked at me. And every so often, there were moments of silence, where I’d catch him staring at me, his eyes full of a question I wish I knew the answer to.
He is an enigma. Someone I hadn’t even heard of just a week ago, and yet he swept into my life like a hurricane, bringing with him strong winds and powerful emotions. If I’m not careful, he’ll sweep me up and carry me away to places I never knew existed.
I want to go with it. I want to listen to my friends and just enjoy the moment, enjoy it for what it is. But another part of me is scared. Another part doesn’t understand, doesn’t feel good enough. I’m not on his level. I am Willow Montgomery. I barely have a couple of hundred dollars inmy bank account. My credit card won’t even get me a ticket to the other side of the world even if I desperately needed it to. Sebastian is the sort of man who lives in penthouses and flies first class. He probably has drivers and chefs and housekeepers.Iam the cook. I am the cleaner.
Stop, Willow.I bite down on my lower lip.Stop talking down about yourself. Be positive.
“You’re a good person,” I whisper to myself. “You are beautiful. You are kind. You are smart. You are a good friend. You are warm. You are compassionate. You are patient. You are loyal. Just because you are not rich, it doesn’t mean you’re less than.” I feel sad for a moment. I look out the window, up at the stars above. I wonder if my parents are looking down at me. I close my eyes and imagine them hugging me, embracing me. I love my friends, and I know they love me with everything they have—they’d do anything for me. But sometimes, I just want to feel my parents touching me, holding me, telling me how much they love me, protecting me, guiding me.
I feel so alone at times, and so scared. That is an emotion I didn’t realize I carried for so long, but I feel it now. Fear. I am scared of the unknown. I am scared of change. I am scared that Sebastian will leave my life as quickly as he came into it. He makes me feel so special, making this connection, and it is surreal. Things like this don’t happen to people like me, especially not so quickly.
But I know that sometimes they do. There are whirlwind relationships. Almost every romance book I’ve ever read has some form of insta-love. Even the movies I’ve watched have people falling in love fast.
Not that Sebastian is falling in love with me—I’m not crazy. He probably just wants to sleep with me. But still, it feels intoxicating. It feels like my life is changing, and finally, ina good way.
I take a deep breath and smile to myself. I grab my handbag, open the door, and step out. I’m ready for my glass of wine now. I close the door, lock the car, and my phone starts ringing. Unfortunately, I answer it before checking to see who it is.
