Narrowing my eyes, I said, “Okay. Well, that’s good baby, but I’m not worried about that. I get paid pretty well, so the last thing I’m worried about it money.”
She nodded and gave me a weak smile. “Thano, my parents’ estate is valued at over 5 million dollars, or it was the last time I met with my father’s lawyer. With his investments and real estate properties, my father wanted to make sure his family was always taken care of.”
I closed my eyes and slightly shook my head before opening them again. “What?”
Chewing on her lip, she nodded. “I hope you’re not mad I didn’t say anything, but I’ve never touched the money except to pay for college, and I haven’t been to my house in about six years.”
“Your house?”
“Yeah, my parents’ house here in town. They also own a place in the Bahamas. That’s where I went a few months back when I left for a few days.”
I was so confused. “Why were you in an apartment or living at Claire’s if you had a house?”
With a shrug, she gave me a weak smile. “I haven’t been able to go back there. In all honesty, I’m afraid to go, and I really need to probably sell it. I’ll never live there.”
“Why?” I asked.
Her eyes filled with tears. “It would feel like I’ve lost them all over again if I stepped foot in there. I can’t do it.”
My heart broke as I saw the sadness in her eyes.
“What if I went with you?”
She sniffled. “You’re not upset I didn’t tell you about the money?”
I turned and opened my door, getting out of the truck. Walking around the front, I opened her door and pulled her out. Cupping her face with my hands, I looked directly into her eyes. “Kilyn, I wouldn’t care if you had a billion dollars. I love you for you. This doesn’t change anything about how I feel about you. If you told me you never wanted to touch your parents’ money I’d be perfectly fine with that. This right here—”
Pointing between our two bodies, I smiled. “This . . . this is all I care about. You and me. Us.”
Tears fell from her eyes as she slammed her body against mine. “I love you, Athanasios. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, ladybug. More than you’ll ever realize.”
She pulled back and looked into my eyes. “My parents set aside an account that was strictly for my wedding. I used that money for college but my father’s investors are good at what they do and it’s made some money.”
With a smile, I pushed a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear. “Then you plan the wedding of your dreams, baby. And if we need more money I’ve got money set aside.”
She scrunched her nose up and said, “There’s a hundred and twenty thousand dollars in the account so I think we’ll be fine.”
All I could do was stare at her. “Jesus, Kilyn. What in the hell kind of wedding book did you make when you were little?”
Laughing, she playfully hit me on the chest. “My parents both came from poverty. When they met in college, they made a vow that they would never know what it felt like to be hungry again, and they made the same vow when I was born. That’s why my father became a doctor and my mother a lawyer. They worked hard for their money and made smart choices.”
An idea popped into my head and I made a mental note to talk to Kilyn about it later. Now wasn’t the time.
“They sound like they were amazing people.”
With a sad smile, she replied, “They were.”
Pulling her in, I hugged her. “Let’s head home.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
On the drive back to Manitou Springs, Kilyn and I came up with a date for the wedding. June 7. It was her mother’s birthday. It only left us with a few months to plan the wedding, but I assured her we could do it.
When I pulled into my parking spot, we both let out a sigh of relief.
“As much as I loved Dallas, it was such a whirlwind. I’m so glad to be home!”
Grabbing our bags from the back seat, I nodded in agreement. “Me too.”
Kilyn skipped up to me and flashed me a huge smile. “Can we ask Claire and Blake out to dinner to tell them?”
Her happiness was practically dripping from her smile. “Of course!”
She let out a squeal of delight and pulled out her phone.
“Claire!” she shouted as we walked up to our apartment.
“Are you and Blake free for dinner tonight? Yes! The little surprise getaway was amazing and that’s what I want to talk to you about.”
Her smile faded. “What? How do you know?”
Turning to look at her, I pushed the key into the front door and unlocked it. I couldn’t help but notice the look of confusion on Kilyn’s face.