She scoffs out a laugh. “Oh, heck no! Having wealth and power doesn’t mean a thing to me. I only enjoy reading about it, but it’s not something I look for or desperately want in a man.”
“Your Prince Charming seems to fit the bill though.”
She lifts an eyebrow in question. “Who? Dean?”
Taking a sip of my beer, I nod. “Yeah, Mr preppy boy, Dean.”
Mila snorts, almost spitting out her drink. “You’re funny, you know that.” She laughs softly. “But, no, Dean isn’t filthy rich or powerful. He does come from a bit of wealth, but he’s no self-made millionaire.” She leans back on her chair and takes another swig of her beer.
“So you and Dean, huh?”
She flashes a wide grin, and for some reason, it doesn’t sit right with me.
“It’s still early days, but so far, he’s been a complete gentleman,” she says, her gaze drifting to the sky as a dreamy smile tug at her lips. “He’s smart, handsome, and funny. But the most important thing is that he’s been patient and respectful, which I really appreciate. He’s taking me on a little cruise in his yacht next week. I’ve never been on one before, so I’m really excited.”
A small stab of jealousy pricks at me, but I manage to summon a smile. “I’m happy for you, Mila. You deserve all the happiness in the world, and I really hope he treats you right. If he doesn’t, though...” I grin playfully, my tone light yet carrying a hint of promise. “Just say the word, and I’ll gladly hunt him down for you.”
There’s no question in my mind—I’d do anything for her, even if it meant kicking down Dean’s door and introducing my knee to his balls if he ever hurt her in any way. I don’t know where this surge of protectiveness came from, but I’m not about to ignore it now.
We finish the last of our beer and set the empty bottles down on the ground between us. Lying side by side on our backs, our eyes wandering across the star-speckled sky, I hear Mila let out a deep sigh.
“What’s on your mind, Rivera?” I ask.
She shakes her head shyly. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to ask considering it’s such a personal question.”
“It’s okay. I’m a big boy. I can handle it,” I assure her, “and besides, it’s your turn to ask the thirteenth question.”
She hesitates for a moment, her mind carefully considering how to phrase her next question. After a brief pause, she finally asks, “What happened between you and Elena?”
I slowly turn my head to face her, offering an amused smile. “I’ve been wondering when you’d finally ask me that,” I say with a long, heavy breath. “As you know, Elena and I have been separated for a couple of years now. Without delving into a full memoir, I was the one who ended it after I found out she’d been having an affair. Not just with one man, but with several.”
Her eyes widen in shock and disbelief. “I’m so sorry, Jason. That’s absolutely horrible!”
I shrug nonchalantly, letting her know it no longer affects me like it used to. The love I once held for Elena died the moment she opened her legs to another man. “It is what it is. We’ve both moved on, and our priority now is what’s best for Jake.”
“Can I ask how you found out?”
Clearing my throat, I shift onto my side, so that I’m now fully facing her. “After I returned home from a food and wine convention, it was just me and Jake at home, who was close to three at the time. Elena was out with her friends when Jake randomly blurted out over dinner that he heard his mummy screaming in the bedroom. He said it woke him up from his nap and when he went to our bedroom, he saw Ben, his nineteen-year-old swimming instructor, lying on the bed with his mum.That’s when Elena apparently screamed at him to go back to his room.
“It didn’t take long for me to piece together what actually happened. The next day, I reached out to a friend of mine who used to work at the police station with me. He’s now a private investigator. I paid him to follow Elena and hack her phone. Within a week, he uncovered all of her affairs—and more, though I won’t get intothosedetails. That night, after Elena came home from work, I immediately confronted her, shoving all the evidence in her hands and told her to get the fuck out of my house. That was the end of it.”
Mila sits up, pulling her knees close to her chest, her expression tinged with sadness.
“It feels like there’s no such thing as loyalty anymore,’ she murmurs, shaking her head in disbelief. “If that can happen to good, honest people like you and my sister, what chance do people like me have? It makes the idea of committing to someone feel so much more frightening.”
“It’s definitely a risk, but one worth taking if there’s even the smallest chance of finding someone who truly deserves your love and trust,” I tell her, hoping to ease some of her worries. “You’re still young, so don’t let hope slip away. Your heart is more resilient than you realise. Even if you face a few heartbreaks along the way, remember that each one only makes you stronger and wiser. And when you finally meet the right person, your heart will know exactly who it was always meant for.”
She rests her cheek on her knees, her gaze locked on mine, and I swear I can almost see the flecks of amber and gold in her beautiful whisky-brown eyes. “Jason, I hope you know that any woman fortunate enough to win your heart will be the luckiest woman alive.”
I hold her gaze a beat longer, the words I’m dying to say lodged in the tip of my throat. I wish I could tell her what I really think—that any man would be lucky to have her in his life too. That she deserves the whole world, and I’d be more than happy to give it to her. But in the end, all I do is smile appreciatively, letting the chance to confess my truth slip quietly away, just like the wind.
CHAPTER 14
Mila
Holy mother of Jesus! Dean’s yacht is out of this freaking world!
Now, I might not be a boat expert, but it’s clear that this yacht is in a whole league of its own when it comes to luxury and sophistication. The vessel is literally the size of a house.
