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I narrow my eyes at him. This is still Brodi. He doesn’t play this fair. There’s a catch. I know there is.
I take a sip of what I thought to be coffee. A smile tugs at my lips when the taste of hot chocolate bursts in my mouth. Oh, he’s here to play hard.
Okay, Brodi. I see you.
If he’s trying to prove how much he knows me, he’s getting there. I hope he remembers I know him too. At least… enough to know he’s up to something.
“So if I want to leave in the morning, you’re going to be okay with that?”
“No,” he says like something sour just hit his tongue. “I’m not okay with that, but if it’s what you want…What if I offer you another million?”
“What?”
I look at him like he’s crazy. Placing my mug down, I fold my arms over my chest. This should be good. I think he’s lost his damn mind.
“A million to stay. A million to see the slate clean, because we can’t wipe away our past. It’s too important to me… to us. But… I’m not trying to buy your forgiveness or put a value on our child.
“I want you to stay. Allow me to show you the man I am. I’ll never walk away from you again. Let me show you I’ll never hurt you again,” he says.
The way he says our child stirs all types of shit inside me. I’ll admit, a part of me has been wanting to leave the district. It’s not the same without Sid. I lost my love for that place a long time ago.
Two million dollars could do so much for me. I can help Ally reach her dreams and still pursue my own. The wheels are in full gear.
“Do you still paint?”
I jerk my head up. I can’t believe he remembers that. I haven’t dreamed of being an artist since I was a teenage girl, when I first met him.
My heart races as I think of the thrill I used to get from sketching and painting. I’ve painted some over the years, but I haven’t thought about doing it for a living in so long.
On Sundays, I’d sketch and get lost as therapy. Ally would sit playing her flute and I would paint for hours. Actually, I stopped when my sister went to college. It just wasn’t the same when she wasn’t there.
“I haven’t in a while,” I answer.
“Never too late to go after your dreams,” he says, winking at me.
I look away. I refuse to get caught up in those eyes. They’re one of my weaknesses when it comes to him.
“How long do I have to stay?”
“The six months. Fulfill the original contract with me. Help me keep my father from forcing me into a marriage of his choosing and losing everything my brothers and I have built. Someone’s still out there trying to expose us and ruin our lives.
“That threat is real. I can still help you and you can help me. I’m only asking that you allow me to try to mend what I’ve broken in the process,” he replies.
Six months, I can do six months. I’ll be two million dollars richer, and I can tell him to kiss my ass in the end. That’ll work for me.
“It’s not like our relationship can last more than six months at a time anyway,” I mumble.
He places his mug down, climbing onto the bed until we’re face to face, nose to nose. His hot breath fans against my lips. This is the Brodi I know. I can sense his need for dominance right on the surface.
“Only thing standing in the way of me dragging you down an aisle today is the world of hurt I’ve left you in. I have no questions about who I want to spend the rest of my life with, Cee.
“This time, it’s going to take my flesh on fire from the inside out to tear me away from you. Unless…unless I truly can’t fix what I’ve done and that look of hate isn’t able to fade.
“Although, I can promise you. I’m here to do whatever it takes. Six months isn’t nearly long enough for all of the love I have for you,” he breathes.
Run, Chloe. Abort, abort!
I’m getting my shit and running in my head, but my body and heart have me rooted to the bed. His heat has wrapped around me like an embrace. His words are chipping at the ice around my heart.
