“Like, actually marry him?”
“Yeah.”
She shook her head. “Wait… hold on.”
Her brain was clearly trying to catch up.
“You don’t want to be with him?”
“No.” I laughed softly, but there wasn’t any humor in it. “I mean… I had him before. One night in Vegas. But… I barely know the man.”
Emily leaned back in her chair again, staring out toward the water.
Little Zay ran past us again, completely happy in his own world.
After a few seconds, she spoke again.
“Can I be honest with you?”
“Please.”
She turned toward me. “I heard things about Ares through the girls in the modeling industry.”
My eyebrows lifted slightly.
“What things?”
“That he treats women good.”
I frowned. “Girl, money don’t make a man good.”
She shrugged.
“I’m serious. I’ve heard people say he’s charming. That he’s respectful. He doesn’t hit women. He knows how to love.”
I rolled my eyes a little.
“Emily, that man had six girlfriends. That’s not love.”
“If you say so, sis,” she said calmly. “But from what I can tell, he’s not using his power to treat you like shit.”
I didn’t respond.
She continued.
“Look… You know I’ve been with Zay since we were teenagers. I know what it looks like when a powerful mandoesn’t respect women.” Her eyes softened slightly. “Ares doesn’t look at you like that.”
I picked at the edge of the towel wrapped around my calf. “You don’t know him. He’s not Zay.”
“Neither do you.”
Emily leaned forward a little.
“You’re walking into something big,” she said gently. “I can see that much.”
I looked down at my hands.
“But don’t walk into it already hating the man.”
