“I need to apologize to you too,” I say finally. “For what I did to Georgie. Having her suspended.”
“For humiliating her.” Jake’s voice is flat. “Let’s call a spade a spade.”
“I didn’t intend—” I stop. Intent doesn’t matter. Impact does. “Yes. For humiliating her. For failing her. I’m sorry.”
He grunts, which from Jake is about as much forgiveness as I’m likely to get right now.
“I love her,” I say finally.
“What?”
“I love Georgie.”
His jaw clenches. “This better not be bullshit. You’ve been with half of London. Now suddenly you’re in love with my sister?”
“I know how it looks.”
“Do you? Because from where I’m sitting, you’re a thirty-five-year-old CEO who’s fucked his way through most of the city’s female population, and now you’re telling me you love my shy, sweet sister who worked for you.”
“Fair point.”
“So, convince me. What makes Georgie different from all the others? Why do you love my sister?”
I’m shit at this. Always have been. How do I explain what she means to me?
“She’s...” I stop, start again. “She’s really fucking loveable. Easy to love. That’s the truth of it. I can’t write you poetry about it. But I know I love her.”
“That’s it? That’s your grand declaration?”
“You know I don’t say things I don’t mean. But yeah, that’s my truth. Simple as that.”
He chuckles, which might mean he’s softening. Maybe.
Alas, he frowns. “You hurt her.”
“I know.”
“So why should I believe this is real? You don’t hurt people you love.”
I let out a harsh sound, almost a laugh but not quite. “Christ, Jake. The people you love are exactly the ones you hurt. That’s why men like us fuck off to high mountains.”
“Well, maybe we should stay there.”
“Or maybe we should learn how to come down off the mountain and fix what we’ve broken. Show up stronger. Love harder, not less.” I meet his eyes. “I’m here, getting my balls broken by you, instead of moving on. I gave her IRIS when my lawyers nearly had strokes. I’ve realized that losing Georgie would cost me more than McLaren Hotels. More than my reputation, the Forbes list, five-star ratings, all of it. I’d rather lose the entire fucking empire than lose her.”
Jake’s glass stops halfway to his mouth. “You’re serious.”
“Dead serious.”
“Jesus.” Jake takes a long drink, studying me like he’s seeing me for the first time. “You really do love her.”
“I really do.”
“Fuck me.” He runs a hand through his hair. “She’s going to kill me for even having this conversation with you.”
“Even if she doesn’t want anything to do with me, I need you to understand something. I’m nothing like her ex. I need you to know that. I need her to know that.”
“I know.”
