He crosses the room and stares into my eyes. “Actually, I did. I signed up for marriage, which means I signed up for you. We are married, which means we handle things together. All of this.”
I shake my head. “No, I messed things up. I brought this into your life, your bar, and into your mother’s life. You both shouldn’t have to fight my board members and psycho sister.”
“I don’t care,” he says as he shakes his head.
“I do.”
My voice cracks, and I hate it.
“I feel like I’m destroying us,” I whisper.
He walks toward me slowly. “You think I married you for the easy version?”
I shake my head. “I think you didn’t know what you were signing up for.”
He cups my chin. “I know exactly what I signed up for.”
My heart is in my throat.
“Did you?” My chest feels tight. “Because this is who I am. Private jets, board votes, and family warfare. I don’t get to turn that off because I want to sit at a tiki bar and pretend I’m just some woman you met at the bar.”
“You’ll never be some woman I met at the bar,” he says, softly. “When are you going to realize that?”
“I never want to hurt you.”
His thumb brushes my cheek. “You’ll hurt me if you leave me.”
That almost undoes me. I shake my head. “I don’t want to leave. But I feel like it’s for the best.”
“I want you.”
I close my eyes. “If I stay, they’ll keep circling. They’ll keep pushing. And if I go, it will protect us.”
“You don’t know that,” he argues.
“I know. But I do know that I can’t sit here and watch them tear you apart.”
“They won’t,” he argues. “They’ll move on when they see there’s no story.”
Silence stretches between us.
“I don’t want you to leave,” he says finally.
“You could come with me,” I say softly.
“I want to, but I can’t leave my mom right now,” he says, shaking his head. “And the bar...and Jonah...”
I nod. “Of course. I understand.”
His honesty is raw. I can tell he looks torn by staying, torn by me leaving.
“I don’t want to go,” I whisper back.
He studies my face like he’s memorizing it. “When are you coming back?”
“I don’t know.” I shake my head, sadly.
I step closer, pressing my hands to his chest. His heart is beating fast under my palm.
