Page 124 of The Professor's Possession (Crystal River Billionaire Brothers)

“I fell in love young, Olivia,” Spencer explains. “Daisy was a total accident. Thehappiestaccident, though. Quinn and I got married because of the surprise pregnancy because that’s what we believed our families would’ve wanted. But then the true side of Quinn started to show. Almost as soon as our wedding was over, she started to drink and she started to fight with me over the most trivial of things, even if I didn’t want to get involved. All she ever wanted was money.Mymoney. My family’s money. It’s all she talked about. It quickly became all she wanted to argue with me about. In her fixation on money, she forgot about Daisy. She forgot aboutme. She became utterly obsessive over wealth to the detriment of everything else in our lives. It all became too much for me to handle. I had to leave, and I did.”

“I see. That would’ve been painful.”

“I don’t think I will ever forgive myself for leaving my daughter,” he whispers. “But I had to get out of there before things turned even more toxic. I wanted to bring Daisy along with me, but the laws of the state tilted heavily against me.”

“Ah, yeah.”

It must be hard to be a man like Spencer Penmayne with a famous last name linked to fortune. All those people you have to vet before you let into your life. All those people you can’t ever really trust, no matter how much you think you know them.

“She started to use Daisy as a bargaining tool to extract as much money as she could from me,” he continues. “It was practically blackmail,especiallyafter I left. I’ve willingly given her a lot since then, just to trade for time with my daughter, but she’s still holding her back from me. I gave her more than the courts asked for. She moved back to Crystal River, so I had to move back, sacrificing my life and my career just so I could be near Daisy. I’ve fought so hard legally, but it’s been so hard, even with all the high-powered lawyers I can afford. The court system always rules in favor of the mother in these kinds of cases. No one can believe the rich professor from the billionaire family would care for his daughter more than anything else, including his career.”

I can see the anger in his voice as he speaks about his helpless situation.

“I thought I was lost,” he says. “Even though I moved back to Crystal River to help me win favor with the court and to get some –any– time with my daughter, I still wasn’t being granted the time I needed. Even with all the money at my disposal. Even with the generous divorce settlement for Quinn. I really thought my life was lost.”

“You did?”

“I did,” he replies. “But then I met you, and you are like a girl from a dream. You are the only person to break through the walls around my heart. You have been my rock, Olivia. I am completely and utterly taken aback by you. For once in my whole damned life, I cannot find thewordsto express my feelings, and words are the one thing that have never failed me. You’re the most beautiful thing, Olivia.”

His unexpected words hit me hard.

And they make me lean over and kiss him. I kiss him not just for those sweet words, but for the love he clearly has for his daughter, for the anger he feels at being denied her, and for the deepness of his heart.

I finally understand everything.

I was wrong.

Spencer Penmayne isn’t some lying cheat. He’s a man who needs a woman like me.

“I went to Boston to search you up,” I admit after he stops kissing me back.

“I’m sorry for hiding my past from you, Olivia,” he says softly. “Things were –are– complicated. I wanted to keep that part of my life separate from you. I thought my past would hurt you, but it was wrong for me to try to keep it hidden.”

“No,” I whisper. “I understand why you would. I think I just would’ve appreciated a bit more communication about it.”

“You’re right.”

“It truly has been a crazy day,” I reply. “Is there any way I can help?”

Spencer pauses and looks at me with his deep blue eyes.

He takes in a breath.

“Yes, there is a way you can help,” he says.

“What is it?” I ask.

He smiles wryly at me. “You can kiss me again.”

59

SPENCER

I takeOlivia Weldon to my bedroom.

This time, things are different. This is not the rough and desperate sex that we’ve been having in secret in my office or in the gym or anywhere else where prying eyes can see us; this is something more than that.

We take things slow. I want to admire her this time. Completely.Wholly. To really recognize the girl for who she is. I must say I was completely surprised to see her at the park. For a moment there I was in total panic as she confronted me in front of my daughter. And then my ex-wife appeared out of nowhere, and all hell broke loose, and...well...

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