ave people, and I have money that can get us anything I want.” I breathed into her hair.
She jerked against me. “There you go again. Money solves everything for you, doesn’t it? You snap your fingers, and there’s a doctor at your father’s bedside. And you offer to pay me to just leave with you? This is crazy, Austin,” Rebecca sputtered, showing me her conflicting feelings about this subject. That was a dead giveaway for when Rebecca was upset about something and losing control.
“I can make anything happen for you, Rebecca. I wish you could see that.”
“Do you tell all the girls that, just to get what you want, Austin? Do you offer them money and trips and whatever you want to get one more night in bed?” Her voice was angry now, and I pulled away to stare at her. “Do you even care about me?”
“What?” I asked her, shocked at what she was asking me.
“Was I just convenient for you while you were stuck here in a town that you hate? Was I just a body to satisfy your needs with? Was it the familiarity that you came running to me for?” Tears slid down her cheeks as she spoke.
Anger flashed through me, and I cupped her face in my hands. “You were never just casual sex to me. Not ever, Rebecca. Why the fuck would you even suggest that?” Her eyes widened in shock. “I was in love with you when lived here before, and I still love you to this day. How can you think otherwise?”
“How could you leave me here?” she asked.
I felt something inside of me break. “I begged you to come with me. I wanted you by my side.”
She started to cry. “You just said no when I told you I wanted to stay. You didn’t fight for us.”
I pulled her into my arms. “I hated walking away from you. I hate the idea of it even now, but this is my livelihood. I have to take care of this before I can come back and take care of Dad. It’s going to open so many doors for me, Rebecca.” I tried to convince her of how important this was. My heart broke inside me, hearing her grief.
We already went through this once, and I didn’t want to fucking do it again. I didn’t want to say goodbye, but here we were, with Rebecca telling me that she wouldn’t go with me.
“You have so much money. What doors do you need?” Her voice was soft. She tried to contain herself. Rebecca wasn’t the kind of girl to cry too much over anything. “Will something else ever be enough for you?”
God, she was enough. I pulled her closer and buried my face in her hair. I longed to tell her that, but I knew this deal was falling apart. I knew that nobody else could fix it but me. I’d exhausted every other possibility, but no one else understood that but me. I doubted Preston even fully got it, and he’d been my assistant for years.
“Will I ever be enough for you?” The question rocked me. I pressed my lips to hers, and I memorized the feel of Rebecca in my arms. All I had to do was drop this and prove to her that I was still very much in love with her. I needed to prove to my family that I loved them and wanted to be here to support my father.
What the fuck was I supposed to do?
“You always acted like your life here wasn’t enough. You haven’t visited your family in years. Was any of this enough? I’ve asked myself that so many times.”
“You are enough. I didn’t know that before, but I do now, Rebecca. I love you so much.” I wrapped my arms tighter around her body, and I wondered what I’d just decided.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rebecca
The cool air blew around. Austin cuddled against me under the thick blanket. It was New Year’s Eve, and the midnight fireworks show was starting in a few minutes.
North Reed had fireworks every year, but this year was a little different. Austin was in town. He’d arranged for the show to be put on by a nationally renowned company. Apparently, they did the Fourth of July fireworks in Philadelphia every year.
Austin was over the moon about it. I’d seen fireworks shows from other cities on television. According to Austin, this was going to top all of them. He talked about the pyrotechnics company like they were the best thing ever, but I didn’t know too much about all of that. I just knew that he was thrilled about it, and I appreciated seeing his smile after the week he’d had.
I couldn’t care less about the fireworks, to be honest. I was so happy that Austin stayed here with me and his family. I thought for certain he was going to leave me behind all over again for his deal, but he decided to stay after all. I cried when he told me. His mother hugged him tightly and told him she knew he was a good person underneath all the city nonsense.
We’d spent every night since then in my bed, making love until we passed out in each other’s arms. I’d kept on with work and my day-to-day stuff here when I wasn’t with him, and he sent his assistant Preston to Singapore to see what could be done about the deal.
I asked a few times if he was okay with the deal falling apart, but Austin accepted it graciously. He even told Preston to stay there for an extended vacation. It shocked me that neither man had taken too many vacations over the last several years. He kept showing me pictures that Preston sent him of the sights. A woman kept popping up in pictures. Austin joked that he might lose Preston, after all.
I worried that Austin was being too easygoing about the whole situation. When would the resentment kick in?
I looked around at the snow on the ground and pulled the blanket tighter around us. The air was chilly, but I always stayed outside for the fireworks. Austin’s mom cooked a feast for dinner tonight, keeping it clean and healthy for his dad. He’d been home a couple of days now and was doing great, though there were going to be some real changes now. After his scare, Mel was on board with things and willing to give healthy living a try. The three of us toasted with champagne, but Mel just sipped water.
Things had been tense for everyone while Austin struggled with his decision to stay. Even though he’d made the right choice in the end, the fact that he’d considered leaving at all still didn’t sit well. That hit his parents hard, and there were some bad feelings before they accepted that he was staying.
And the fear from Christmas was going to stick around for a while. Austin and Sally were both so relieved that Mel was okay and home. There was a little fight about some new changes in his medication, including a very new medication that the New York doctor discussed with the hospital doctors. It was not covered by insurance, but Mel and Austin had a long talk about it, and Mel finally agreed to let him pay for it.