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CHAPTER TEN
“Help me,” I say to Ash later that morning.
He and Samantha stopped by our new place to lend a hand, and now the ladies are in the kitchen, checking out the appliances. She’s really different than Ash’s usual squeezes, and they seem comfortable together. Vaguely, I wonder if the sex is happening yet. Interestingly enough, my guess is no. Sam is going to make him wait after the way he chased Montana’s tail, and I kind of respect her for that. But that’s not what I wanted to discuss when I dragged my pal outside to grab the last of Bethany’s clothes.
“What’s going on?” Ash frowns. “Did you tell Beth who you are?”
“No, and before you say anything, I know I’ve got to soon. But I have to find some way to make sure she doesn’t completely hate me afterward. Yes, I created this stupid-ass mess, but I’m in love with her.”
“I know. Do you think she’s innocent?”
“Yeah.” Mostly. I still have a few niggling doubts, but they’re really unanswered questions. Things she was too raw to answer last night. Probes that would have killed the feels between us when we needed them. “She told me pretty much everything. She’s been through a lot, man. It’s beyond awful. So when I’m done confessing everything, I need her to know that I’ve really, truly fallen for her. There’s nothing more important.”
“All right. We can work on that. But I’ve been thinking since we last talked about this. Let me play devil’s advocate for a minute.”
“Okay, but Bret is already doing a damn good job of that.”
He smiles grimly. “In his shoes, I would, too. Look, you’ve known this woman for…how long?”
“Ten days.” Admittedly, it sounds crazy.
“I see you wincing. You get what I’m saying.” He leans in and drops his voice. “Personally, I think she’s a good human being. A really hard worker, too. But you told me yourself that she’s used to playing corporate games and winning. She has to be at least a little bit good at crafting and floating cover stories or she would never have been able to swim in the same chum-infested waters as her father.”
“She has a good poker face,” I admit. It’s still not easy for me to read Bethany. “But once she opened up, she was brutally honest about her past. It’s not pretty. Everything she told me jibes with what I know about Barclay Reed and the events that led to his arrest. I even called an FBI agent assigned to the case and he reiterated that the feds have no intention of charging Bethany with anything. Besides, she has no idea who I am. Why would she bother to BS me?”
“That’s a valid question. I don’t have an answer, unless she’s simply covering her tracks in general. But what I’m saying is, your brothers are going to suspect she played you. So will everyone else. I understand you don’t want to alienate her when you tell her the truth. But I also want you to make really sure she hasn’t duped you before you divulge your identity and lay your heart at her feet.”
“Demanding proof before I tell her how I feel isn’t a good way to start a relationship that requires trust.”
He nods as if conceding my point. “There is that. And you’ve got your mind made up. Since I’m not going to sway you—and I’m not even sure I should—tell me what you want to do.”
“Besides get the two-ton gorilla of guilt off my chest so we can figure out how to have a future together?”
“Yeah.” He laughs. “What did you have in mind?”
“The whole picket fence, man. She’s the first woman I’ve met who I can see myself with long term. She’s smart as hell. Like you said, she’s not afraid of hard work. She’s gorgeous and surprisingly compassionate. We…click. Something in my gut tells me not to ever let her get away.”
“Is that your motive for moving in with her? You’re done digging deeper into her life and her past?”
“If I find out more about those things along the way, that’s great. But exposing her isn’t the reason I want to live with her. I’m sure it sounds crazy. If you were telling me you’d fallen in love with someone after ten days, I’d probably check your temperature, too. But everything I’ve done in life I did because it felt right, like moving to North Dakota and starting my business. Both decisions turned out good. I think the same might be true of my relationship with Beth. We just need to get to an honest place. So help me figure out how to do that, huh? In time, we’ll convince my brothers. But I keep feeling like the stolen money isn’t what’s important. Bethany is.”
“Then like I told you before, you just gotta do it. Rip off the lies like a Band-Aid.”
