Page 37 of Billionaire Unreachable: Wyatt

“It is,” she corrected. “But I’m not going to argue with you about it right now because it makes sense. I’m fine with taking precautions at the moment. I’m still a little uneasy. But it’s not like I can stay with you forever. I have to work, and I have to live my life, Wyatt. I have an apartment and things I’ll need from that apartment, eventually.”

“You can stay here for as long as it takes to catch the perpetrator, and that could take a while,” I informed her. “I’ll get you whatever you need from your apartment. You’re not going back there anytime soon. I think you also need to think about whether or not you want to live there again at all after what happened. Once this is resolved, I think you should consider moving to a safer area.”

She shot me an exasperated look as she answered. “That area is safe. The break-in was unusual. Where would I move to? Del Mar? La Jolla? Coronado? Rancho Santa Fe? Normal people don’t live in those locations, Wyatt. I’m a chef, not an executive. San Diego is expensive. I have to live somewhere practical and affordable.”

“You’re a goddamn Remington,” I said irritably.

Her cousins, who obviously adored her and worried about her, were three of the richest men on the planet.

I knew Kaleb, and he’d probably offered to buy her a place many times since she’d moved here.

“A Remington from the poorer branch of the family,” she said patiently. “That was true even before my cousins became richer than God. My father was a horse trainer with very little land, and my mother was a teacher. Kaleb’s parents owned a sizable ranch that produced a lot of income, and my Aunt Millie was a very successful artist. I wasn’t deprived. I loved my childhood. I don’t even think I realized that we were tight on money when I was a kid. But when my parents died in a car accident when I was teenager, and my aunt and uncle took me in, I grew up fast. I knew my parents hadn’t been able to save a dime because I saw their will and their lack of assets. Luckily, I wasn’t interested in an Ivy League college, even though my aunt and uncle would have happily paid for it. Culinary school was my dream, and my remaining family supported that dream. They made it happen for me, and I’ll always be grateful for their help. I’m not sure what would have happened to me if my aunt and uncle hadn’t taken me in like I was their own child, but I didn’t expect them to support me forever. I love my family dearly, but I wasn’t my aunt and uncle’s responsibility. I wasn’t their child, and they had to put three of their own boys through college. I wanted to make my own way in life. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but they had incredible work ethics, and they raised me to be self-sufficient.”

I studied the adamant expression on Shelby’s face for a moment, surprised by what she’d revealed.

Kaleb had never mentioned the fact that Shelby had lost her parents at such a young age.

Hell, there was so much I didn’t know about this woman, but with every word she spoke, my admiration grew.

I’d grown up privileged, so I had no idea what it was like to worry about making ends meet every month.

I’d always known that I was probably never going to want for anything, and that Chase and I would someday take over my father’s luxury brand empire.

“I didn’t know about any of that,” I told her. “Kaleb has always talked about you a lot, and I always knew how proud he was of your accomplishments.”

“Just like I was proud of him, Tanner, and Devon,” she said with a shrug. “We’ve always supported each other. They’re as close as brothers to me, and just as annoying sometimes. If I allowed it, they’d take over my life and make everything easy for me. But that’s never what I wanted. All I needed was their love and emotional support, and I’ve always gotten that.”

It surprised me that there didn’t seem to be an envious bone in this woman’s body, nor did she seem to expect anything except love from her ultra-rich family.

She was fucking…grateful. And sincere. And goodhearted.

Maybe she thought she’d lost her ability to trust anyone, but she still had faith in humanity even after all the struggles she’d experienced in her life.

She went out of her way to try to make life better for other people.

How in the hell had she maintained her upbeat attitude and kindness?

I was financially privileged.

My father taught me good morals and values.

Still, the darker things and people in the world had made me jaded and distrusting of almost everyone except my family.

“So, do you consider yourself…happy?” I asked curiously.

She smiled at me, and that damn adorable dimple dented her cheek just a little as she answered, “Yes. Most of the time. When I’m not dealing with the drama of having some jerk break into my apartment. I have a good life. I love what I do. I guess maybe I’m lonely sometimes without my family nearby, but I’m grateful to have Tori, Taylor, Harlow, and Vanna as friends now.”

Grateful.

There was that word, that feeling that I didn’t really understand…again.

There was something about Shelby that made me want to protect her beautiful ass and make sure she never knew another moment of uncertainty and pain in her life.

Ever.

I couldn’t say that I was accustomed to feeling that way with anyone except my family, but it was a gut instinct that I couldn’t ignore.

Shelby deserved better than the painful shitshow she’d gotten from her ex-husband.

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