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“I never saw her again. She took the check and ran.”
Her stomach churned. She knew exactly how he felt. Having the people who are supposed to love you unconditionally take advantage. They had both been betrayed. But he didn’t need to know about her trouble. He had enough on his plate.
“Vivian took me in when I was fourteen.” He paused, no doubt memories of the wonderful woman flashing in his mind. “I thought it was odd that a single woman with a shitload of money wanted a fourteen-year-old boy. What she wanted with four teenage boys.”
He probably wasn’t the only one with that question.
“We all treaded lightly, even Neil, Finn, and Cole, who had already been with Vivian for quite a few months. We knew she was the real deal when Neil turned eighteen and she asked him to stay even though he was officially out of the system. When Finn realized she wanted to keep us forever, he wanted to change his name. He wanted to be a Madewood. But she wouldn’t allow it.”
“Why was that
?”
“She wanted us to keep our names, to remember who we were, where we came from. That no matter where the future may take us, our pasts—no matter how bleak—were a part of us and would shape us as men.”
“She was a smart woman.”
He nodded and held out his hand. “So this is where I came from. I don’t really remember much before I ended up in foster care. Not sure if that’s my brain trying to protect me from bad memories, or if I was just too young.”
“Probably a little of both.” Unfortunately, Sterling didn’t have that luxury. She remembered every infested apartment, every crappy car, every angry landlord banging on the front door. Still, she was relieved to know Jack had been spared so much of the grief she’d lived through as a teen.
“So every once in a while I drive out here and remind myself how lucky I am. How grateful I am that a woman like Vivian was brought into my life.”
“You are lucky.” She squeezed him tighter.
He leaned his head back and rested it on her shoulder. “Sometimes it feels like the cord tying me to the universe has been cut and I’m spinning out of control with no end in sight. I miss her so much.”
Those were heavy words for a man like him to utter. A man who had expectations put on him. Who had a legacy to contribute to.
She had no experience with death. Although she had wanted to off her parents on more than one occasion over the years, they were still very much alive…and bleeding her dry.
She kissed the side of his head. “You’re special, Jack. You’re an accomplished chef and entrepreneur; you help out your family when they need it. And you’re continuing your mother’s work.” His idea to move forward with the foundation was a wonderful way of soothing his guilt.
“I just don’t want who I am to overshadow the good that my family can do. Maybe I shouldn’t be the face of the foundation.”
His aversion to being in the spotlight made sense. He’d been burned by gossip vultures looking for the next scandal.
“Once people realize what the foundation is all about, you won’t matter.” She smiled. “You’re not all that.”
His body shook with a light laugh. “All this work, and then I’ll be gone. Leaving it all behind.”
She couldn’t argue with him there. He was leaving. But didn’t he realize that everything he did when it came to his businesses was to benefit the foundation? She hugged him tight. “You’re allowed to have your own life, Jack.”
She let go as he turned slightly, and she leaned to look in his eyes. “No woman has taken the time to get to know me, Sterling. Not like you. They all just want the fantasy.”
He was so much more than just a fantasy. What she wouldn’t give to be in his life permanently. She started this journey with him one hundred percent sure she wanted nothing to do with a relationship, but the more time she spent with Jack, the stronger her belief in a happily ever after grew.
Silence fell between them. It was a meaningful pause—a game-changing pause.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words evaded her. How did she tell him? Where did she even begin?
“Your turn. Spill.”
Sterling hesitated. Jack just liked her as Exciting Sterling, the woman he could bring to new heights and teach new things. He didn’t want her reality. Her boring financial problems. Her messed-up family. Even if he might understand, there was no way she deserved his sympathy. His pity. She couldn’t take that right now. She needed a distracting story.
She leaned back, unwrapping herself from his body. “What’s to spill? I wasn’t good enough so my boyfriend dumped me for my former best friend.” Those words were like poison. Still, one year later, was she ever going to find a day when she didn’t feel so disgusted?
He straightened and forced her to look into his eyes. “I don’t want to hear you talk like that.”
