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There’s nothing as demeaning as being accused of being with someone because they have a trust fund. Had she accused me of being needy for love, she would have been right, but a trust fund? A trust fund I know very little about and care very little for. It has no bearing on my real life. It seems such things are very important to wealthy people. Not so the rest of us.
I’m glad when the bar starts to fill up and I have no more time to brood. There’s no time to go home and change after work. What I’m wearing will have to make do. I do however dash into the ladies’ bathroom and apply a fresh coat of lip gloss and run a comb through my hair.
I’m a pile of nerves as I stroll into The First bar. I feel like I’m on my first date. I pass by the counter and say hello to Jim. He asks after Luna and then points to a table near the window where Declan and Ace are seated. He takes my order of a glass of wine and urges me to go join the guys.
Declan stands when I reach the table. “This is my cue to leave,” he says with a smile. He gives me a quick hug. “Nice to see you, Lexi.”
“Likewise, I tell him.”
When he leaves, I stand awkwardly unable to decide how to greet Ace. He solves my dilemma by standing and kissing me lightly on the mouth.
He takes a sip of his beer. Jim brings my wine.
“Thank you.” My voice is weird.
“How was work?” Ace asks.
“It was fine. The usual.”
We fall into silence again. It doesn’t seem to bother Ace. I need to get this show on the road. “Um I wanted to apologize,” I begin.
He raises his eyebrow. “What for?”
My lips feel dry and I lick them as I formulate my response. “For the way I acted on Saturday.”
“There’s no need to apologize for speaking what is in your heart,” Ace says.
And I realize that it’s worse than I thought. He probably thinks that I don’t love him and I can’t have him think that. Which means that I have to come clean. I have to tell him the real reason why I declined his proposal.
“I wanted to say yes but I couldn’t.”
“Why?” A guarded look comes over his features.
A moment of doubt comes over me. What if I cause a rift between him and his parents just when they’ve found each other?
“I don’t want anyone to think I’m marrying you for your trust fund,” I say softly.
Ace goes still. “Trust fund?”
I swallow hard. “Yes. Your mother told me that when you get married, you’ll have access to a trust fund. She implied that that was the reason we were together.”
A string of curses escapes his mouth. Relief floods me to see that the same thought had not crossed his mind at all. “My mother is the most materialistic woman I know. But why didn’t you talk to me about it?”
I lower my gaze. “I don’t know.”
He sighs deeply. “I was at fault too. I should have told you about it. We shouldn’t have any secrets between us.”
My heart skips a beat. I should tell him that Declan has been supporting us but before I can say anything, Ace continues speaking and the moment is gone.
“We’ve always had trust funds and as soon as we get my name on Luna’s birth certificate, she’ll automatically have her own trust fund,” Ace says.
I’m dumbfounded.
“So yes, I do have a trust fund but it’s not something I think about because I do like contributing to society,” Ace says. “And then there’s also the money from renting out Serenity that Park and Rachel deposit into my account. Declan also has a substantial amount of my money which he wisely deposited in a savings account.”
I look at him as if he’s from space. He hasn’t mentioned figures, but he doesn’t need to. I can’t imagine a person having so much money at their disposal. It’s beyond my scope of imagination.
“I had no ulterior motives when I asked you to quit working and just relax while you figure out what you’d want to do,” Ace says softly. “It just hit me that you’ve never had that. Ever. So I thought it was something I’d love to do for you.”
By the time Ace finishes talking, my eyes are full of tears. I feel like a complete bitch. Why do I always have to think the worst of people?
It’s a really kind sweet offer and I tell him so but it’s something I’d really have to give some thought to. Leaving my job is scary. I’m not emotionally attached to it, that’s not it. But it’s my blanket of security. Depending on Ace would be giving up control and that’s too frightening to contemplate.
