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“Oh, it was just something that came up at work today. He asked me not to say anything because he was undecided about running or not.”
“Well, he’s going to get my vote,” Flick said from where she was still seated on the couch.
“What did you do to convince him to give up his job?” Raven demanded with a bewildered look on her face, pulling Rory’s gaze from me to her.
“Does it really matter?”
“No, but I’m curious. I don’t think you just asked him to pretty please go away, and he gave in out of the goodness of his heart.”
“I’d rather not talk about it,” Rory muttered, turning away from everyone, including me. “Just be thankful that he’s leaving.”
“Oh, I’m beyond thankful,” Raven assured her. “I think everyone in this room is thankful.”
“Yup,” a few of the brothers called out.
“Fuck yeah,” Bash and Jet both seconded from behind me.
“Thanks, Rory!” a handful of men called from across the room. “You’re our new best friend, babe!”
I had no fucking clue what was going on, but my gut was telling me that my girl had done something life-changing to get her father to agree to resign and leave me alone. I didn’t like it. She didn’t need to play her father’s games for me. I could take his ass on any day of the week.
Grabbing her hand, I pulled her out of the room and down the hall to our bedroom. I didn’t say anything until the door was shut and locked behind us. “What the hell did you do?”
“What I had to,” she answered deadpan, but there was no fear in her eyes, not even a flicker of nervousness.
Everything inside of me turned to ice, trepidation eating me alive with fear for her. Michaels was a slimy bastard, sure, but he was still dangerous. What the hell did my girl get herself into? “Rory.”
“I gave him what he wanted,” she said with a shrug, as if it was nothing, and sat down on the chair across the room.
“Which was?”
“Money. He was nearly broke, and my mother’s money comes to me the minute I turn twenty-one. I’m giving him almost all of it.”
“You gave up everything your mother left you?”
For me. Shit, I couldn’t let her do that.
“How much did you give up for me?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“How much?” I barked.
Her brow puckered into a frown. “Why does it matter?”
“Because you shouldn’t have to give up anything for me. Ever. You’re not supposed to be the one taking care of me.”
Her frown turned into a glare, and she was on her feet in a flash. Marching across the room, she punched me in the chest. “That’s not how this works, asshole. You aren’t the only one who gets to do all of the taking care of and providing and whatever else alpha shit fills that thick head of yours. We’re partners. That means we share everything, including the bad shit. You only get to take care of me, protect me, as long as I get to do the same for you.”
I caught her fist before she could hit me again. “How much did you fucking give him, Rory?”
“Two hundred and forty-nine million,” she snapped and pulled her hand free. “But I kept a little for myself. He didn’t get everything. I still have a million dollars, dammit.”
I let her go, too stunned to hold on to her. My jaw dropped, nearly landing on the floor, as I tried to comprehend just how much money she had given up to be with me. I knew her parents were well-off. Fuck, she had told me once just how big her grandparents’ house was where she had stayed in the three years we were apart. But, fucking hell, I hadn’t imagined she had that much money to her name.
This girl—my girl—was too good for me. No goddamn wonder her father had wanted her to stay away from a screw-up like me.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” she growled and caught my face between her hands. “You shut those damn thoughts down right now, Matthew Reid. I can see the wheels turning in that head of yours. I didn’t want the fucking money. I have never wanted anything more than you, and as long as I have you, I don’t care about the money. I don’t need it. Not when I have you.”
