Silas pours me another cup of coffee. “Do you feel forced?”
“No. As for your concern, Roarke, I like her. Hell, forgetlike. I love her. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, not even Selena. But I feel rejected.” I dig my fingers into my hair with impatience and frustration. “I didn’t even get to pop the question.”
“So after fourteen years, you finally found somebody and…” Finn sighs, shaking his head.
The rest of my brothers look at me with something akin to pity and sympathy.
“Did you do something to upset her after she paid all that money for you?” Gideon asks.
“Like what?” I’d love to know so I could fix it.
Liam purses his lips. “Fart while she went down on you? Happened to a college roommate of mine. She dumped him.”
My face scrunches. “Oh, shut up. Nothing like that happened.”
“Maybe you haven’t convinced her that you’re the kind of guy she can stay with for the rest of her life,” Xavier says.
I scowl. “What do you mean?”
“For women, it isn’t just about money or looks. Let’s be honest, once you get old, your body’s going to go, your skin’sgoing to wrinkle, and your dick will quit working without Viagra if you live long enough. But if she’s convinced that you’ll always love her, be the solid rock she can depend on, and never betray her…she’ll be with you.”
I frown. I’m sure I’ve done those things.Haven’t I?
“Proving with action is going to be very important for Max,” Liam says. “We talked a little at the auction, and she told me to believe what I see, not what I want to believe. So I don’t know if the only thing you’ve done is whisper some sweet nothings, but if it was all talk and no action, she might not buy it.”
Finn nods. “She’s a smart woman.”
“She totally is,” I say, then stab the hapless sausage with vicious force.
“Did you tell her you’d love nothing more than to spend the rest of your life with her and the baby when she told you about the pregnancy?” Silas asks.
I shake my head.
“Youdidn’t?” Xavier’s voice grows louder with disbelief. My brothers trade looks.
“Hey, I didn’t want her to feel trapped in a situation she doesn’t want to be in,” I say defensively.
“Oh, horseshit,” Finn says. “She cares about you, tells you she’s pregnant with your baby, and you’re like…what? ‘I don’t want you tofeel trapped’?” He stares at me.
“Did you even tell her you were happy?” Roarke asks.
I frown, thinking back. “I…I don’t think so. But I made sure she knew I didn’t want to hold the baby over her head to force her into anything.”
“Jesus, man, that sounds like Dad,” Silas says.
I stiffen. “Hey! I’m nothing like him.”
“Yeah, but from her perspective, you might as well be. Dad runs from responsibilities. He can put whatever spin he wants on it, but that’s the bottom line. He says, ‘Oh I just want you tobe happy and do whatever you want,’ but deep inside it’s because he doesn’t want to make hard decisions, the kind he’d have to take responsibility for. Right?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Right.”
“Okay. Now you come in, saying you want her to make a decision about your relationship, but what aboutyou? A relationship takes two people being brave enough to open their hearts and make a commitment.”
I flex my hands. “But what if she’s already decided to leave? Like, a while back? She might not want to stay after seeing what being with me comes with.”
“What comes with being with you? Other than billions in your bank account, I mean,” Roarke says, utterly confused.
“The scandals. The embarrassment. I mean, our relationship actually started because of that so-called high school scandal and Grandmother’s reaction to it. It’s one thing to just watch from the outside, but being a participant in it?” I shudder.
