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I let her think.
“Why?” she asks and that is something I can’t tell her. She will never let Ray near me after she knows the truth.
I shrug, not wanting to give a bullshit lie.
“How will it work, Zach? I’m crazy to even consider this. But what will happen if Ray ever comes to know about all this, about the reality? He’s young but when he grows up and sees that every night his father is gone, what will he think?”
She’s considering it. She is thinking of the future. The businessman in me bursts with joy as he knows he’s close to closing the deal.
“Hope, I promise you that this part of me”—I wave my hand around—“will never touch you and Ray.”
“But it already has.” She gets up and walks toward the door. Before turning the doorknob, she looks back at me over her shoulder. “I don’t want to come here ever again.”
I toss restlesslyin my bed. After coming back up, Hope went straight to her room without saying another word to me. I knew she would need time to think after the bomb I dropped on her.
But patience has never been my friend.
I glance at my clock, which still says three A.M. With so much anxiety coursing through me, I know I can’t sleep anymore. I leave my room to go to my den with the intention to getting some work done, but my feet follow the dim kitchen light.
My heart fucking skips a beat as I find Hope sifting flour into the stand mixer. As crazy as it might sound, I’m nervous to know her answer, and I don’t think I want to know it at three…especially if it’s a no.
But what is she doing up so early?
“Couldn’t sleep?” I step into the kitchen.
Startled by my sudden appearance, the bowl containing the flour shakes in her hand, but she recovers fast, placing it on the counter. “You scared me,” she yelps. “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” I take a seat on one of the barstools.
“It’s not every day that a guy proposes to me and tells me in the same minute that he would still like to fuck other women,” she says without looking up from her mixing bowl.
Her brazen words have the opposite effect on me than intended and I release a pained chuckle. “You summarized pretty well, Hopper.” But she doesn’t look up. Her straight face gives nothing away. What is she thinking? If not for the slight tremble in her expert hands, I would think we weren’t even having such a life-altering conversation. My stomach churns as I ask her, unable to bear this torture,
“Have you decided?”
She leaves the mixer and approaches me. “What happens if it doesn’t work?”
“What assurances do you need?” My joined hands on the countertop tighten.
“That if this insane plan fails, you’ll still be in Ray’s life.” Hope plays with a kitchen towel, shifting her weight from foot to foot.
That’s it? My stomach twists waiting for Hope to ask something more, something for her, even though I know nothing I give her will compare to the change she’s going to bring in my life.
“Anything else?”
She shakes her head and that simple action has my heart rate skyrocketing as if I marched up the stairs of The Ritz to reach my penthouse. My chest drums fast and I’m up from my seat, wild energy shooting through me making me restless for all different reasons now. “I’ll ask my lawyer to draw the papers. I’ll sign whatever you need to convince yourself that I’m not going to leave you.”
I can’t stop myself from grabbing her hands as she stands before me biting her lips and glancing down at the floor. But before I can tell her that she didn’t make the wrong decision, we’re interrupted by William.
“Mr. Teager, Ms. Davis, can I get some coffee for you?”
“William, I’m sorry. Did I disturb you?” Hope asks.
I tune out their conversation and shoot a text to my lawyer. Finally, I release a deep breath, my head tilted up to the ceiling.
“I’m going to bed. But, Hope, we have some business to complete tomorrow morning. Don’t leave for the hospital without seeing me.” When I look at her, she blinks rapidly. Even though I don’t like the confused frown on her face, I know I need to be patient and work my way to show her that I’ll be the best fucking husband. Giving them a nod, I leave and go back to my bedroom.
Tomorrow, our lives are going to change, and hopefully for the good.
