Page 31 of A Marriage of Anything But Convenience

She was crying, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Would it be awkward to ignore it? The thought made him balk. He couldn’t sit there and not comfort her. But he didn’t want to try to pull her to him if she didn’t want that.

What should he do? He debated for a moment before reaching out and putting his arm around her. He couldn’t let her cry, and not do anything. Fortunately, she turned and snuggled into him, putting her head on his shoulder. She sniffed and wiped at her face.

“He didn’t mean to leave you alone.” It broke Derek’s heart to hear her choke back a sob. He pulled her closer, ignoring the tingles that came from touching her skin. He only wanted to help her. To ease some of her pain. “He thought your grandmother would be able to comfort you.”

“She did. She was the one who got me through it all.” Her voice broke again, and Derek’s heart shattered.

He reached up and trailed a finger down her cheek. “I’m glad you had her as long as you did.” It was only last year that her grandmother had passed away.

“It wasn’t nearly long enough.”

“I know.”

His heartbeat picked up speed as Nara placed her hand on his chest. Her nails were well manicured. He’d never noticed before. “I shouldn’t have gone to New York.”

“What? Don’t say that. You loved living in New York.”

She pulled back from him. Her face was filled with regret. “I wasn’t there when she passed.”

“You were out living your dream.”

She sighed, her gaze dipping. “I was getting coffee for people living their dream.”

Sadness pooled in his stomach and weighed heavy on his chest. “Don’t do this to yourself. You were allowed to leave home. To pursue what you wanted to do. You had no idea when she was going to pass.”

Guilt surged in Derek, for not saying anything about her father. But he didn’t really know anything for sure. All he knew was what he’d observed. Richard didn’t want to admit he was sick, and it wasn’t really his place to tell Nara his suspicions, was it?

“I know,” she said quietly. “I was just so close with her. And now I’m left with a father who much prefers spending his time at work than with his daughter.”

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

Nara jerked back, shaking her head. “Oh, my word, no. A thousand times, no. I don’t want to spend time with him. He made his choice a long time ago. I’d rather get this marriage over with and go back to New York.”

Derek flinched, and Nara’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Geesh, I’m sorry.”

“I know what you meant.” She meant just what she said, but he held that part in. She was only doing this for her grandmother’s inheritance. Her father strong-armed her. That’s all this was to her. Fulfill his wishes, and then go back to her normal life.

Her gaze softened and she scooted closer to him. “You’ve been so kind to listen to me. I’m sorry I got all weird. I don’t know what got into me. I swear my father doesn’t even bother me anymore. I don’t know where that came from.”

He gently touched her arm. She cared, even if she didn’t want to admit it. And it hurt him to see the rift between her and Mr. Claymore. “You can talk to me about anything.”

Her lips lifted into a tiny smile. “You know, I really feel that way right now. Thanks for listening. And being so…nice.” She tucked her legs under her, moving closer.

He didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything, he simply gazed into her large, brown eyes. They had a tenderness to them he hadn’t seen before. Was she looking at him differently? She inched closer. Time got all wonky. Slow. Her face was only millimeters from his. He looked at her lips, which seemed like they were still coming at him.

What was she doing? Was she moving toward him, or was he moving toward her? He froze, worried he was going to close the distance and do what he’d dreamed about for years. Claim her lips with his. But even though he was positive he wasn’t moving any more, she continued to get closer.

His phone rang, a loud screeching ringtone he’d chosen so he could hear it in his pocket. She jumped back. Derek cursed his phone, whoever was calling, and the cell tower that brought the call. He wanted to stop time, rewind just a few seconds, and redo that moment. But he couldn’t.

Nara stood. “I’ll get it for you.” She probably wanted the loud screeching to stop.

“No, I can get it,” he said, standing.

He grabbed a towel, wrapped it around him, and climbed out of the tub. Nara shut off the jets and grabbed a towel herself. “That’s okay. I was ready to get out anyway. I’m really tired now.”

Of course she was. He grabbed his phone and stabbed at the button to answer it. A robotic voice came through the line. “You have been pre-approved for a line of credit.”

He grit his teeth and hung up. Just perfect. There was a fraction of a possibility that Nara would have kissed him had they not been interrupted. Now that possibility was gone.

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