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“Hi,” she greeted. “Thanks for meeting me here.”
He wanted to hold her. Fuck, he wanted to take her, possess her, convince her that she was his and always would be. But she put off a vibe that gave him pause. Not a fuck-off sort…but not precisely welcoming, either.
“Of course. What’s on your mind?”
She drew in a not-quite-steady breath—a hint that she was nervous, too. “I’ve given everything that happened recently a lot of thought. I’ve made some decisions and taken some action.”
Here it came, Gia telling him that she’d filed. He clenched his jaw, braced for the worst, and resolved to at least listen before he spoke. Then he intended to fight like hell. She might not see it yet, but they were right for one another.
“We made an agreement before I came back to you. I am determined to keep up my end of things, so I’ll return for the next eight days if you want.”
“Because you want the money from the divorce settlement?”
“Yes.”
“So…you haven’t filed yet?”
“No.”
Thank God for that. “Then what? You plan to hire an attorney and just…go on with your life as if this never happened?”
“No,” she said softly. Her expression broke, and he watched her fight tears.
It took everything inside Jason not to intervene and comfort her, to reach out and try to make everything okay.
“Then what?” He frowned, not understanding. “Explain.”
“I won’t be the one to file. I can’t stop you if that’s what you want, but…” She shook her head, tears gathering. “I’ll never make the first move to end our marriage. I tried for a year to go on as if we never happened. I already know it’s not possible.”
His chest seized up. Breathing stopped. His heart thundered furiously. “Are you saying you don’t want a divorce?”
“No.” She emphasized her answer with a shake of her head. “I’ve given this a lot of thought. You’ve been trying to show me affection in the way you know how, with gifts. It’s not an insult, and I have to stop being too proud to see that.”
Gia had been thinking.
Relief poured through him. “I never once tried to hurt or offend you.”
“And you’ve gone out of your way to help me. Trying to intervene with Wayman is a good example. I might not like your methods, but you meant to keep me safe and eradicate him from my life all at once.”
“Two birds, one stone. I’ve been telling you my motives for a while.”
“You have, and I…” She shook her head and curled her fingers together nervously. “I can’t hate you for that.”
“Protecting what’s mine is in my nature. I know you don’t like the way I go about it?—”
“But your intentions are in the right place. Sometimes, I lose my temper, and I get emotional. When I look back, I see clearly that I overreacted. I’ve gotten pretty good at eating crow over the years. I wish you had told me that you intended to deal with Wayman, but I know you didn’t mean to take away my opportunity for justice.”
“I didn’t.”
“After I calmed down, I realized that I took my frustration out on you. I’m sorry.”
“You always want to right the wrongs. I respect that about you. I’m sorry if I stepped on your toes. I might be a bit too accustomed to calling shots and making decisions.”
“I’ve heard enough of your business conversations to figure that out. I just had to calm down enough to realize you didn’t do this to hurt me.”
“Never.”
“And I wanted to be really mad at you for forcing me to introduce you to my parents.” She gave him a wry, if reluctant smile. “As hard as it is to admit it, you were right. They really love you.”
