Page 50 of The Billionaire's Accidental Legacy

It made her feel small and somewhat wounded. And she had no idea why. She did not expect anyone but her sister to truly care about her. She didn’t expect Ewan to care.

But it was far too easy for her to think back on the night they’d spent together, and the time here in the estate. His hands on her skin. His lips on hers.

To feel like that must have been caring.

It wasn’t.

It never would be.

“So you feel...obligated?” she asked.

“Yes, I feel obligated. I might as well jump out of the highest window of this house if I cannot bother to put myself to use keeping you safe. Can you understand that? My life would be forfeit, and I would be nothing. No amount of money can erase such a sin. No amount of power. There is nothing worthwhile on this planet that a man could claim if he fails those around him. When they are most vulnerable.”

She blinked, uncertain when tears began to fill her eyes, only certain that they had. He had so much conviction in that statement, and sometimes she was afraid she lacked conviction. She liked to win. She didn’t know much else about herself.

“You said you don’t know me.”

“I can get to know you.”

“Can you? When you do, will you let me know who I am? Because I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m still trying to decide. When I was born, I was nothing but clay for my father to mold, and the problem with a memory like mine is you don’t forget anything. So I remember all of his lessons whether I want to or not. Everything that he ever taught me about how I have to look out for myself. And now I have to figure out how to be a mother. Isn’t that essentially caring for someone else more than you do yourself? I was never taught that.”

“We’ll begin by letting me care for you.”

She stood there for a long moment. And she realized that if there was even a chance that her father might hurt her, and she had turned down his protection... If she had the opportunity for him to intervene and she hadn’t taken it, and the baby was used against her... She would never forgive herself. And that was an introduction to a new thing about herself.

“I’ll marry you,” she said. “Until the threat of my father is neutralized.”

“Well then, you best get prepared. Because this isn’t just going to be a wedding. This is going to be a whole Cinderella story.”

“I’ve never wanted to be Cinderella.”

“Who did you want to be?”

“The fairy godmother. She’s an independent woman who can turn a pumpkin into a carriage. All Cinderella could do was get the attention of a prince when she was wearing enchanted clothing. I want to be the one who does the magic tricks.”

“That’s an interesting way to look at it.”

“You heard a little bit about my childhood.Interestingis the only way I can look at anything.”

“We will put a marriage announcement in the paper today. I will alert the media. We will marry in two weeks’ time.”

“Two weeks?”

“You object?”

“That’s hardly time to plan anything.”

“Suddenly you care?”

How strange. She sort of did.

“Not really. I never thought that I would get married. I’m not especially attached to the idea, but you know if I’m going to have a wedding, maybe it should be kind of pretty.”

She had not realized that she possessed even the slightest bit of a romantic bone in her body. She thought that was entirely Maren’s territory. And here she was, saying things like that about a wedding.

“You know what,” she said. “I only care because there are going to be pictures of me everywhere.”

“I don’t believe you.”

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