Page 52 of On Her Terms

“Why did she even agree to this?”

“I’m sure her father pushed her to do the right thing after the reading of the will. He was your father’s best friend, and this will make her a duchess.”

“It’s not the right thing.” I lean forward, brace my elbows on the desk and grab a fistful of hair. I pinch my lids shut again and work diligently to find a solution to this. I can’t marry some girl when I’m in love with another woman, even if she doesn’t reciprocate those feelings. I just can’t. As betrayal eats at me, rakes my insides raw and leaves me bleeding, my mother steps into the room. I straighten, not wanting her to see me like this. My gaze meets with dark eyes identical to mine, and I force a smile.

“Your flowers look lovely,” I say in a light tone I don’t feel.

Mom’s eyes narrow, her gaze bobbing back and forth between me and Uncle Gio. “Does someone want to tell me what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” I say. “Everything is fine.”

“Everything is not fine,” she says and puts her hands on her hips. “You’ve been traveling from one place to the other for years, and now you come home and you’re miserable.”

“I’m not miserable. I just—”

“Do you not want to be here, Luca?”

“I do,” I say. “I want to be here. I want to be here for you and make Dad proud. It’s just that...”

She takes a step closer, those astute eyes moving over my face. “Who is she?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Who is this woman who has you twisted into knots.”

I shake my head. I never could get anything by my mother. “It doesn’t matter.”

Her lips pinch. “I’d say it does matter.”

“There are some...obstacles.” Although I’m beginning to second-guess everything, including what Brianna told me. I can’t help but think what started as payback turned into something more. After discovering all my secrets, did she lash out to protect herself? The truth is, I never meant to hurt her at Oxford, and I never meant to hurt her now.

Fight for her. Go to New York. Apologize. If that doesn’t work, tie her to the bed until she sees things your way.

But what about obligation?

I do a quick mental tally of my trust fund. If Marco drains the businesses, I could use my personal funds to ensure my mother stays in the family estate, make sure she’s taken care of for the rest of her life. I might not be able to do all the charitable work I want, not yet anyway, but if I join a practice I could do some pro bono work and give back to my peerage. My heart beats a little faster as I

consider that scenario. It might not be ideal, but it’s a solution, at least for now.

Wait, what am I saying?

I’m saying I’m choosing love!

I suck in a fast breath, my adrenaline pumping, urging me to run to the airport and catch the next plane to New York. Fight for the woman I love.

“Do you have any idea how many obstacles stood in the way of your father and me?” she asks. “He was an aristocrat, with certain expectations placed on him. I was the gardener’s daughter. We were from different worlds, but despite it all, we weathered the storm and had a beautiful life together.”

I scoff. “Then why did he put a stipulation in his will that I marry his friend’s daughter?”

My mother’s head rears back. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” She looks at Gio. “Do you know what he’s talking about?”

Gio runs his hand along his balding head and sinks a little into his seat. “He must marry before his thirtieth birthday, or the conglomerates go to Marco. You were too distraught after the accident and weren’t in Marco’s office when he went over the will with us.”

“If you’ll excuse me for a moment,” she says and disappears from the office.

I glance at Uncle Gio, searching his face for some sort of explanation, but he shrugs. We sit in silence, and a few minutes later my mother comes in with a large envelope, yellowed from age.

“Here,” she says and hands it to me.

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