Page 108 of My Favorite Boss

“Yep. Great shame on the family name.”

“What is with that? She’s not a Bane, so why is she so concerned?”

I was happy for her questions. It meant she wasn’t dwelling. “The name Bane is still known in the legal world. My dad was a great lawyer, and his reputation was stellar. She still pulls it out as a double whammy when needed.”

“Double-dipping.”

I chuckled. “She’s an expert at it.”

I took a bite of my spring roll and chewed. “Doug Johnstone was also a huge name in the legal world. Very well-known and represented the wealthy in a lot of trials. He had a reputation for helping the rich stay rich. His first wife died, and he married my mother about two years later.” I paused. “She was very beautiful when she was young, and I imagine she caught his eye. My dad was a good businessman and we were okay financially, but not on Doug’s level. He was and is a snob. She was arm candy. Once she married him, every grandiose idea in her head became the norm for her. I was the fly in the ointment, so to speak. I refused to take his name, then later I heard my mother say she was glad I hadn’t. So was Doug. Neither wanted me to be a Johnstone. So, she uses Bane when it suits her. She doesn’t want either name sullied, and she thinks I have never lived up to my potential.”

“She’s blind.”

I grinned, opening a container and passing it to her. “You know it. Now, enough about my family history. I want you to eat. You’re going to need it for later.”

“Whatever.”

I grinned. “I’ll give you whatever soon enough.”

She frowned, and I leaned close. “Hey. Leave it. They’re gone.”

She met my gaze. “I hate that they hurt you.”

“Then it’s a good thing I have you, isn’t it?”

She furrowed her brow but nodded.

We ate in silence for a while. Despite what had happened, I was hungry. Somehow with Magnolia beside me, her words still in my head, nothing my so-called family said had any meaning. I studied her as we ate. I slid closer, feeding her pieces of sweet-and-sour chicken, garlicky green beans, steamed dumplings. I needed her to eat. I refused to allow them into our space.

After dinner, she put away the leftovers and made some of her foamy coffees. We sipped, eating the lychee nuts I had ordered, picking them from the ice bath one by one and enjoying the unique flavor. She nibbled on the fortune cookies, crunching them and laughing over the fortunes.

The sun was setting, and we went out to the patio, watching as it sank, turning the sky a myriad of colors. I sipped a brandy, then stood behind Magnolia, linking my arms around her. She leaned back into me with a sigh.

“Marry me.”

“Why? To get back at your mother?”

“Frankly, she has nothing to do with it. I don’t care about her feelings one way or another.”

“Then why?”

“Because we suit. We like each other. You make me…feel.”

“I make you feel. But not enough to love.”

“I’m not capable of that.”

“I want more,” she replied, her voice sad.

“I can’t love, Myers. I can care. I can protect. Provide. We can have a good life together.”

She was silent.

“It solves so many things. You’ll have a great place to live. A partner who will support you in everything. You can do whatever you want with your life.”

“Except have a husband who loves me.”

“Maybe what we’ll have will be better. Desire, affection, friendship, respect. Those things mean a great deal.”