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“Me.” He taps his hand over his chest, over his heart. “You tell me, the man who loves you above all else, and we figure it out together.”
I nod as a tear slides down my cheek. I make no move to wipe it away. I can already feel more brimming, begging to break free. “I wanted that.”
“Then why did you leave?”
“Amanda told my mother everything. How I didn’t want to go to Paris, how I wanted a small-town life away from the bright lights of the city. My mother was furious. She did, after all, raise me, pay for my education, and because of that, I needed to do what she said. Being an Astor demands it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I told her it was all true, and that I wasn’t going. I told her I wanted to take my career in a new path, and she blew up. She demanded that I go, and when I told her no, she pulled her trump card.” I swallow back the emotions threatening to pull me under and keep going.
“My parents have money and a lot of influence. She threatened to get you fired. She threatened your family's businesses. She vowed to close the doors on Declan, Orrin, Palmer, and even Deacon. She told me I had to end my relationship with you and take the internship in Paris. She promised me that if I never spoke to you again, you and your family would stay untouched.”
He opens his mouth as if he’s going to speak, but quickly closes it. I can see a kaleidoscopic of emotions wash over him. “She can’t do that, baby.” His voice is soft. “She can try, but this is a small town. We’ve lived here our entire lives. People know us, and how my brothers, how my family does business. She might have clout, but she can’t hurt us.” He pauses. “Her words, her threats, that’s what hurt me, hurt my family, because she took you away from me.”
He stands, and I freeze as he makes his way toward me. He takes my hands in his and brings them to his lips. He kisses the back of both hands before his eyes bore into mine. “We can’t let her do this to us, Jordyn.”
“Ryder, you don’t understand. She has the money, the connections, and the influence to make things happen. It’s too risky. Your family… they’re amazing people, and you, I can’t let anything bad happen to you.” My voice cracks, and my battle with tears is lost as they flood my cheeks.
“We’ll figure it out,” he assures me.
“No. We can’t risk it. I won’t risk you or your family. I don’t want her hate touching any of you. She doesn’t even know I’m here. My parents think that I’m flying home on Monday. I took an earlier flight to sneak and see you. I needed to explain. I know what I did was wrong, but I didn’t see another way out of it. Now, being home, I know there is a chance we might run into one another, and I needed you to understand why I can’t act like we were even together. I refuse to let her ruin you and your family because of the hate that she has for me. You don’t know what she’s capable of. I’ve seen her destroy lives, and I won’t let that happen to you or your family.”
“We fight her.”
“You can’t.” I choke on the words. “Trust me. I know my mother, and you can’t. She wins. She will always win.”
“So, what? You expect me to just walk away from you?”
“You have to.”
“Is that what you want?” He takes a step back, dropping my hands as he waits for my answer.
“I want you and your family to be happy. I want nothing involving my mother to touch any of you. This is the only way I can make that happen.”
“Do you love me, Jordyn?”
Yes. I’m screaming the word in my head, but instead of answering, I keep my eyes trained on the floor. His feet come into view, and his index finger lifts my chin. I can barely make out his features from the tears in my eyes.
“Do. You. Love. Me?”
I nod.
“I need your words, baby.”
“Yes. Yes, I love you. I’ll never love anyone else, but I don’t see how this can work.”
He drops his hand and crushes me to his chest. I can feel the rapid beat of his heart, which has me giving in. I grip the back of his shirt in my fist as I hold on for all I’m worth.
I love him so much.
When he finally pulls back, his eyes glisten with his own emotions. “We’ll figure this out.”
“There is no way out of this. I’ve had two years to think about it, and I just don’t see a way. Short of my family going bankrupt and my mother losing her influence, I don’t know how we’re going to stop her. She has money and the social influence behind her.”
