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“Your kids love you, Remington.”
He lifted a grey, scraggly brow. “Even Hale?”
“Especially Hale.”
“Yet he’s determined to leave me.” He shook his head. “He was the one I could count on. Phina’s doing her thing in New York and Barrett…” He scoffed. “Who knows what he’ll do once his looks run out.”
He’d probably land a role in a soap opera or something. I wasn’t sure where beautiful people got recycled once they aged.
“But Hale,” he continued. “He was supposed to take over.”
I frowned. “We’re not going anywhere?—”
“You can’t say that when you’ve only ever lived in two places, Meyers. The world’s large and you’re young. You’re in a position—financially speaking—to have whatever life you want. Don’t set that aside for anything. Including me. Hale won’t let you.”
Because it was Hale’s money and he’d have the final say. “I’m happy living here.”
“Florida could never hold Hale’s interest forever. He’s built an empire that ensures he’ll have global freedom outside of Davenport Industries. Why else do you think he’s working so hard to negotiate with Tokyo? Next, it will be the UK, then France, then Germany. He won’t stop until he corners the global market.”
A wave of unease snaked through my stomach. “But I like it here.”
“Come on, Meyers. Why do you think he wants you to fall in love with New York?”
He could have knocked me down with a feather. Was that what this was? Was Hale using our wedding as a billboard to sell me on moving to the business capital of America? Once again, I felt like the last to know.
My face felt numb and not from the vodka. I kept telling myself that after the wedding life would slow down. But according to Remington, things were only going to get busier and bigger. That sort of fast-paced living terrified me and I honestly thought all this travel was temporary. But what if this was what our marriage would always be?
I pushed my martini away. “I have to go.”
He frowned. “You look a little green.”
“It’s probably the old cheese.”
He glanced at my glass and sighed. “I told you not to eat it.”
What the hell else was I supposed to do? He was dumping all this stressful crap on me, and I hadn’t had dinner. I needed grief bacon!
When I got home, Elara was still awake. I lifted her out of her crib and sat with her on the glider, just rocking and thinking how much our lives were about to change.
“You like it here, don’t you, peanut?”
She smiled and grabbed my mouth. I pulled my lips over my teeth and playfully bit her fingers while making monster noises.
She laughed and my heart lightened. “You’re getting so big.”
Soon, we would start researching preschools. Hale would only want the best for his daughter and what if the best was in New York? Or Helsinki, Finland?
Slowly rocking Elara, I realized I wanted the best for her, too. But what if the best was simply being surrounded by love? How much did a preliminary prep-school really matter in terms of a happy life?
She babbled and pulled at my hair. “Mah-mah-mah-mah.” I looked down at her and she smiled, reaching for my nose. “Mamma.”
My heart stilled and time stopped. “What did you just say?”
She smiled up at me, that fourth tooth had finally broken through. “Mah-mah-mah-mah.”
It was the first time she said those sounds, and she said them to me. “Mamma?”
She grinned and gurgled in solidarity. “Mamma.”
