Page 107 of Grand Love

I know why she’s mad; money has always been a hard limit for her. But what she fails to see is that she is my hard limit, every bit of her crazy ass.

“I didn’t come here to argue, Mason. I’m sorry. I gave myself a couple days to process it and I thought I was ready to talk to you but clearly, I’m not.”

I can tell she means her words. She didn’t want to say the things she just did, but maybe they needed to be spoken. I place my hand on her shoulder, quickly sliding it up to palm the side of her neck and stopping her from leaving. “Don’t get upset.”

“I just wish…” She grits her teeth, trying to control her emotions. “Why can’t you leave money out of it?”

“I’ve just told you.” I shrug. “You’ll never understand.” My eyes pinch in as I watch her. “And maybe that’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay. You’re the one who doesn’t understand, Mason. It’s not the money—God it’s not the money.” She laughs, gripping my arm that holds her. “It’s the reasoning. It’s the motive. It’s putting a price on something that is me when you had me once!” Her voice wavers, tears slipping from her eyes that make my chest ache. “Jesus Christ, you could have me now and we both know it.”

I do know this. We probably both knew it from the day she left me. She may have broken the trust by not believing me, but I’m learning that this woman could feed me to the wolves and my heart would still find a way to beat for her. She lives inside of me, embedded in my soul so deep that I’m no longer one. We’re Mason and Nina, two halves of the same soul.

But we’re not ready yet, and I think she knows that too.

“I need a tissue.” She tugs my hand away, rounding my desk and walking into my bathroom.

Stupidly, between the heated words and tears… I forgot about Jasmine.

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