AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There had been times he’d questioned his decision. But in those moments of doubt, he’d only had to think of his parents and their seemingly permanent state of misery to know he’d made the right choice. His actions had paid off, at least professionally. He’d done well for himself career-wise. And he hadn’t lacked for company on a personal level. But he’d never truly connected with anyone the way he had with Ainsley. His relationships had been pleasant but superficial, and he’d been careful to ensure that the women he’d dated didn’t get the wrong idea about a future with him.
He simply wasn’t the marrying kind.
The men in his family were cursed when it came to marriage. He’d never met his grandparents, but his father had told him how unhappy they’d been together. And his own parents had made no secret of their disdain for each other. It was still a mystery to him why his parents had stayed together, but Gabriela had once told him she thought their mother and father wouldn’t separate because they hated each other too much to want to risk the other finding happiness with someone else. It made a sick kind of sense—they were locked in a self-destructive cycle, where punishing each other was more important than their own joy.
Growing up, Santiago had simply assumed he’d be alone. But when he’d met Ainsley in law school, he hadn’t been able to stay away from her. She was totally unlike his mother, her opposite in practically every way. Ainsley had taught him that relationships didn’t have to be prisons of misery, that both people could and should be happy together. And they had been, for a while.
But as the years had passed, Santiago had known Ainsley wanted to settle down. She’d made no secret of her desire for marriage, just as he’d been up-front about the fact that he wasn’t marriage material. When the job in New York had come up, he’d jumped at the chance to leave. Better to break it off while they still liked each other than let their affections wither and die because he couldn’t give her what she wanted most. No way was he going to follow in his parents’ footsteps.
He’d never thought he would be in the position of picking out a wedding ring. And yet here he was, standing outside a jewelry store and checking out the sparkling display.
A small part of him was curious about the process. Ainsley was the only woman in his life he might even imagine marrying, so it was somehow fitting he needed to pick out a wedding set for her. But not a diamond. Diamonds were significant—they meant commitment, a white dress, the whole nine yards. No, he needed something more subtle. Something that would look nice, but that wouldn’t send her mixed signals. He knew she wasn’t happy about doing him this favor, and he couldn’t blame her. He’d broken her heart five years ago, was lucky she’d even agreed to speak with him. Buying her a diamond ring and asking her to wear it would just be cruel, and he never wanted to hurt her.
Santiago peered past the window display, trying to see deeper into the store. Surely they carried more than just diamonds?
Only one way to find out. With a sigh, he pulled open the door and stepped inside.
Chapter 3
Still at the office?
Ainsley read Santiago’s text later that day and frowned. Yes, she was working late. But she wasn’t really in the mood to talk right now.
Yes, she wrote back. Big project.
His reply was swift. Excellent. Be right there.
“Oh, come on,” she muttered. Was he really going to barge into her office on such short notice two days in a row? She was grateful he’d taken Ace’s case, but she had her limits.
Ten minutes later, there was a knock on her door.
She got to her feet and headed across the office, stopping for a second as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the wall. Her hair looked a bit frazzled, and her blouse was wrinkled. She couldn’t fix her shirt, but she did a quick U-turn and snagged an elastic band off her desk. Working quickly, she smoothed her hair back into a short ponytail. Then she shrugged into her blazer, hoping it would hide the wrinkles. It was silly, she knew, but she wanted to look good in front of Santiago. Let him see what he’d been missing over the years. Her pride demanded nothing less.
He smiled when she opened the door, those dimples making an appearance once more. “Thanks for seeing me.”
She arched a brow and stepped aside so he could enter. “You didn’t give me much choice.”
He chuckled, the low sound going straight to her belly. “That’s true, I didn’t.” He held up a large paper bag as he walked past her. “Do you still like orange chicken?”
r /> Ainsley caught a whiff of the hot Chinese food and her mouth watered. She was trying to cram in as much work as possible before the retreat, so she’d skipped lunch thanks to back-to-back meetings. The granola bar she’d snagged a few hours ago was a distant memory to her empty stomach.
“I do,” she replied, restraining the urge to wrest the bag from his grasp. “But you didn’t have to bring dinner.” It was a thoughtful gesture. It also stung a little. How many nights had they spent together, poring over legal texts while munching on pizza or other takeout?
Santiago shrugged and placed the bag on the conference table set up on the right side of the office. “I needed to talk to you, and I’m hungry. Thought you might be, too. This seemed like the most efficient use of our time.”
She couldn’t fault his logic. Ainsley gathered paper plates from the cabinet next to the table and joined him as he removed box after box of food from the bag.
“I got a little of everything,” he explained, pointing to each carton as he named the contents.
Ainsley took an egg roll. “Any mustard sauce?” she asked hopefully.
Santiago reached into the bag and pulled out a few packets with a grin. “Of course,” he said. “I know better than to leave that behind.”
Ainsley smiled, feeling a little touched that he’d remembered her preferences after so long apart.
They dished food onto their plates and for a few minutes, they were both quiet as they focused on those first bites.
“I met your brother this morning,” he said after a bite.
