"You're going to give me money and expect nothing in return?" Her tone had softened, but her body was still rigid as I cradled her cheek and pushed some hair out of her face.
"I'm going to give you money because I owe you." I reached for her hand and she let me take it. "You were hurt when we met and I took advantage of that. I suggested Vegas and the chapel and all of it. If I hadn't done that, you wouldn't be in this mess."
She looked down at our joined hands and I could see her shoulders start to relax. "Why do you care?"
Why did I care? I had to ask myself that question and I had no good answer for either of us. The truth was that helping her would help me too. If I could save a local bakery and get a cancer research fundraiser back on track, the tabloids would have to publicize me in a positive way for once. They'd be forced to show me doing something good instead of stumbling out of clubs or dating models half my age. It would get my parents off my back and prove to them that I wasn't the complete disaster they thought I was.
All of those motives were selfish and I knew it. Even standing here trying to convince her, I could feel how wrong it was to have an ulterior motive. But there was something else under all of that, and it wasn’t something I usually felt for anyone. I actually did feel responsible for what happened to her, and I wanted to make it better.
"Because it's the right thing to do," I finally said.
She looked up at me and her eyes were searching mine for something. "The press doesn't show this side of you."
"I can still surprise people now and then."
A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth and I finally felt the tension between us breaking again. "I don't know what to say," she mumbled, and her face fell again.
"Say yes." I squeezed her hand. "Let me help you."
Lainey's head dropped and she seemed hesitant. I understood the hesitation, because I'd given her no reason to trust me so far. Our entire past, all twenty-four hours of it, was nothing but a mess, and considering the way the press painted me like a total jerk, she had nothing to back up my word today.
From her perspective, I was probably the last person she should accept help from.
"Only enough to keep the bakery going while we build up to the fundraiser," she finally said. "Nothing more than that."
Relief flooded through me and I realized how badly I'd wanted her to say yes. "That's fine. Whatever you need." Another wave of relief washed over me as I realized I had been right and my father had been wrong, Gavin too. Lainey wasn't a gold digger. She was perfect. I wanted to kiss her.
But her hand planted on my chest and held me back. "And we're still getting the annulment."
"Absolutely." I nodded even though something in my chest tightened at the words. "This doesn't change that."
She pulled her hand from mine and wrapped her arms around herself. "Okay then."
I felt like I was on cloud nine, even though I knew I shouldn't be. This was a business arrangement and nothing more. I'd give her the money she needed, she'd pull off the fundraiser, and we'd both get what we wanted. Except I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that it meant spending more time with her in the short term, getting to see her more and maybe convincing her that I wasn't the complete disaster the press made me out to be.
Maybe she'd soften up to me a little.
I didn't usually care what people thought. I'd spent years cultivating a reputation that kept everyone at arm's length, and I'd never wanted to change that. But standing here in her messy apartment with her looking at me with those adorable brown eyes, I found myself wanting her to see something different. I wanted her to see that I could be more than the headlines and the tabloid photos.
I just couldn't figure out how to make my parents see what I was starting to see. She wasn't a gold digger and she wasn't trying to trap me. She was a woman who'd been dealt a terrible hand and was trying her best to play it. She'd walked away from a wedding that would've given her financial security, she'd refused my money multiple times, and she was working herself into the ground to keep her bakery alive.
That wasn't the behavior of someone looking for a handout.
"I should go," I said, even though I didn't want to.
"Uh, yeah... my sister should be here any minute. She'll just go all fan-girl on you." Lainey chuckled, though that didn't sound horrible. Another woman who looked like her? I wagged my eyebrows and she shoved me.
"That means leave, rich boy," she said playfully. I grunted in disappointment. I found my shoes and my shirt, dressed quickly and walked to the door.
But she stopped me before going through it.
"We'll need to talk about the details. How much I need and when I need it. I can send you the numbers." She hovered there, and God did I want to kiss her. "Just give me your email or something."
"I'll text you. Just give me your number.” I stepped into the hallway and turned back to look at her. "And Lainey?"
"What?"
"Thank you for letting me help."
