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“Because I love you.”
* * *
Her conversation with Ethan hadn’t prepared her for Paul’s actual declaration. His open and earnest manner as much as the words he spoke stunned her. Paul loved her. Her heart sang with joy. For days she’d been arguing with herself, seeking ways to make her relationship with Paul work.
If she was too quirky for Charleston society, she could dress differently and learn to discuss what was important to Paul’s friends. Giving up the road wouldn’t be a hardship if it meant waking up every morning beside the sexy cybersecurity specialist. Already he’d had a grounding influence on her. She’d even imagined herself going to school and becoming an occupational therapist, helping others the way she had Grady.
But then she remembered all that stood between them. She’d deceived his family. Her grandfather had swindled investors out of millions. Their vastly different natures. Any one of those things would create challenges. All three together were insurmountable.
“I don’t know...”
“You don’t know?” Paul’s outrage clearly indicated he was under the misguided assumption that all he had to do was declare himself and she’d fall at his feet in gratitude. Lia’s annoyance gave her the fortitude to resist the romantic longing building in her.
“Ethan said that you’ve never been in love before,” she explained, determined to do the smart thing. “And that you’re conflicted.”
“Maybe I was before. But that’s not how I feel anymore.”
“And tomorrow?” she persisted. “When something comes up about my past that triggers your suspicions again?”
He frowned. “What’s going to come up?”
“I don’t know.” She waved her hands around. “My mother could show up and shock you with her passion for taking nude photos of herself. Or you could judge me because I have no idea who my father is.” She sucked in a shaky breath and braced herself for his reaction. “Or maybe the fact that my grandfather is Peter Thompson.”
His obvious shock at the familiar name confirmed what he’d thought about her all along and sparked her greatest fear. He’d always perceived her as the fruit of a poisonous tree. Still, she couldn’t deny a certain amount of relief at getting everything out in the open.
“That’s right,” she continued. “I’m the granddaughter of one of the country’s most notorious swindlers. His Ponzi scheme defrauded investors of hundreds of millions of dollars. The scandal rocked Seattle and devastated my family. It’s why my mother changed her name and lives off the grid. It’s why I do what I can to help people. I’m related to a liar and a thief who harmed thousands. You were right about me all along.”
Paul captured her hands and squeezed gently. “I wasn’t right about you at all. That was the problem. I judged you before I knew what a kind, loving, selfless person you are.”
“My grandfather is a criminal,” Lia said, compelled to point out the obvious.
“A fact that has nothing to do with who you are.”
As tempting as it was to accept his breezy dismissal of her background, Lia couldn’t believe he’d just let it go. “But it’s a scandal that could come to light. I can’t imagine your family will appreciate that.”
“If it does, we’ll deal with it,” Paul declared. “You are exactly what I need in my life. Someone to remind me to laugh and to stop working and to enjoy myself. You’ve made me feel again. Or for the first time. And now that you’ve opened me up, I need you so I will stay this way.”
“But you said it yourself, we’re completely different. How long before I start to drive you crazy?”
“Immediately.” He laughed and his happiness made her heart pound. “Don’t you get it? I’m thrilled that you do. Isn’t that what your tarot cards said? For too long I’ve been burying myself in work. Isolating myself from the people I love and the world at large. You brought me back from the wilderness.”
She couldn’t believe he remembered the reading much less had taken it so to heart. “Does that mean you believe a little?”
“I’m starting to believe a lot. And that’s all because of you.”
“But what if I don’t want to settle down in one place?”
“I can do my job from wherever,” he said. “If you get itchy feet, we’ll load up your little camper and take it on the road. Have laptop will travel,” he joked, but to Lia’s surprise and delight, it looked as if he meant it.
Still, if he’d taught her anything these last few weeks it was caution. “It sounds like a fairy-tale ending,” she said. “But I’m not a princess, I just play one for kids who are stuck in the hospital.”
“I have an idea.” He turned utterly serious. “You read tarot cards for me and my cousins, but you never did one for yourself.”
“I don’t generally do my own readings.”
“Because you can’t?”
“Because I don’t want to see what’s coming.”
