“I’m not,” I tell the bouncer. “I’m just here to pick up my girlfriend.” I wrap my arm around Giselle’s shoulders and kiss her cheek. “You ready?” I ask her, and she nods wordlessly.
The ride home is quiet, and once we’re inside, Giselle excuses herself to shower. I consider joining her, but figure she needs some time to herself. I reheat the soups and place the sandwiches on plates. I pour us both something to drink then wait for her to get done. When she comes out, she’s in my boxers and Henley. Her hair is in a messy bun and her face is makeup-free. She’s back to looking fucking gorgeous.
She sits across from me at the table and thanks me for the food before she starts to eat. We eat in silence for a few minutes, and then she finally speaks. “I’m in debt with over a hundred thousand dollars in student loans. The interest accrues every month.”
I set my spoon down to give her my full attention.
“My mom’s house sold, but because of the second loan my dad took out on it, which was probably to help out his other family, I only got so much from the sale, and now I need to find a place to live. My mom is due to get out in a few weeks. She needs somewhere to go.”
I nod in understanding.
“Right now, my sister has zero financial aid, which means I have to cover her tuition, room, board, books, and food card, plus her car insurance, which comes out to over sixty thousand dollars a year. And even once she applies for financial aid in the fall, it won’t cover everything.”
She continues, “You paid for my mom’s care at the facility, but once she gets out, she will need to see a psychiatrist several times a week. And then there’s her medications. Right now she has no insurance, and the quotes I’ve been given, due to her condition, are over ten thousand a year.”
I do the math in my head, unsure how this woman hasn’t collapsed from the weight she’s been forced to carry.
“I make pennies at Fresh Designs. I’m busting my ass and Lydia keeps telling me that soon I’ll be hired on as a regular employee with benefits, but even if or when that happens, it will only put a dent in the money I need to shell out.”
Giselle stands and comes around to my side of the table. She climbs into my lap and straddles me. I back up slightly to give us room. “I love you,” she tells me. “Tonight, when you called me your girlfriend to the bouncer, it felt like my heart leapt right out of my chest.”
“You are my girlfriend,” I tell her. “I love you, baby.” I give her a kiss.
“Tell me a job where I can make enough to pay for everything I need to pay for.” I don’t need to think about it. I know there isn’t one that doesn’t require her to fuck someone or at the very least take her clothes off.
“The NFL,” I joke. She glares, but there’s a hint of a smile threatening to come out.
“Killian, I’m serious.”
“I am too. I make enough money to pay for all of that. I get you want to be independent, but let me help you, please.” There’s no way she’s going to agree, but I have to try.
She wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me tightly. Her face nuzzles into the crook of my neck, and her lips kiss my flesh softly. “I can’t let you do that, Kill. I love you for offering, but we’ve barely even started dating.”
“We’ll figure it out, Giselle,” I murmur. “But please don’t work at Assets.”
She lifts her head and eyes me. “Are you actually asking me not to work there and not demanding it?”
“I was mad, baby. Shocked. But we both know I can’t force you not to work somewhere.”
She nods and gives me a chaste kiss. “Thank you for not demanding it. I told Benjamin I made a mistake and quit.” My body sags in relief.
“My brother found Melanie,” I tell her, changing the subject. “She’s in Cedar Wood Acres, North Carolina. It’s only about twenty minutes from where we went to college. I grew up in the next town over.”
“Are you going to go see her?”
“I am, and I was hoping you would come with me.”
Her face lights up, telling me I made the right decision by asking her to join me. “I would love to.”
“How about this weekend? I know it’s last minute, but maybe you could take a day or two off work. We could take an early flight and make a long weekend out of it. I would love for you to meet my parents while we’re there.”