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Once she was out of the car, he put the jacket over her arms, covering her, keeping her warm. Then taking her hand, he led the way down onto the beach.
“This is really sweet, Gideon.”
“No one ever taken you to the beach for a stroll?”
“No.” She giggled. “They have never driven miles out of their way to make it happen either. This is really quite magical. Thank you.”
He locked their fingers together.
It was too soon to tell her what she meant to him, too soon to let her know the plans he had and hoped to achieve with her and her alone.
So many things he wanted.
A family.
Children.
To spend every waking moment with her.
“Have you thought more about leaving?” he asked.
“I have. I mean, it’s not exactly hard to think about it. I work in the basement of your father’s casino. My life has been pretty limited so far, so thinking about a life away where I don’t have to worry about a security guard or anything like that is pretty damn appealing.”
“Can I ask for one favor?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t make any rash decisions yet. I want the opportunity to … date you.”
Silence met his confession.
Date was the only word he could think to say that wouldn’t set off any alarm bells in her head.
“Date me?”
“Yes, I want to date you. To show you what it could mean to be with someone who cares. I care about you, Emma. I don’t want you to leave without you knowing what it feels like falling for someone.”
She stopped, and he refused to let her hand go.
“Gideon, I know you mean well. I see past the act that you give to everyone else, and I get it. It’s hard to put yourself out like that, but I can’t do this.”
His heart shattered.
“Why not?” he asked.
He wasn’t going to cry in front of her. He never cried. Tears glistened in her eyes though. He hated seeing them there.
“We talked about this, Gideon. You’re going to meet a woman and fall in love, and everything is going to be amazing. What about me? I get to watch you walk away. There’s only so much pain I can handle, and I don’t want to do that.”
“You’re worried I’m going to fall for someone else?”
“The legacy thing says you are.”
“Damn it, Emma, you are my legacy.”
Another long pause.
“What?”
