“It is,” he reiterated. “I do what I do here because it gives me something I need, without tethering
me to anyone or anything.”
“That sounds lonely,” I mumbled.
“It can be,” William confirmed. I wanted to reach out and smooth the creases in his brow. “But I
know myself. After spending my career, bound to the directions of others, I swore I was through with
that life. I want to have the ability to move on when I get restless, and it’s not fair for me to put a boy
through that.”
Maybe it shouldn’t but hearing him admit he didn’t plan on sticking around Annandale forever
made it easier to open up to him. What he could give me was something that could never touch my
personal life, but without the pretense of this being something serious, I didn’t have to worry about
introducing him to Willow. This could be…not a secret, but something we dabbled in when time
allowed.
I could only imagine how difficult that had been for him to admit. William worked damn hard to
come across as confident and cool under pressure. But what was so different about this situation, as
he put it?
“You aren’t wrong, you know,” I told him. My voice cracked as I prepared to tell him things I had
never said to anyone else. “I like this room. I feel like me when I’m back here. But my life isn't in a
place right now where I can do anything about that. I wish it was because I would've loved nothing
more than to take you up on your offer.”
“What's stopping you?” William asked.
I shook my head. It was stupid to keep my personal life a secret, but I had to. Or did I? If he
understood why I was reluctant, maybe he could help me find a way to take what I needed without
crossing the line.
“I know everyone here thinks I’m a workaholic bachelor, but that’s not who I really am.”
William’s jaw tensed, and I could almost hear him grinding his teeth. His eyes turned cold, and I
squirmed.
I replayed my words, quickly realizing how they might have sounded to him. Of course, he’d be
pissed given what he was suggesting. I was resistant to him, and then I made it sound like there was
someone waiting for me at home. And there was, but not the way he thought. “I have a kid. Willow.
She’s almost five, and every ounce of energy I have goes to making sure she’s taken care of.”
