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“Words mean nothing without action,” she interjects.
I swallow hard, feeling helpless and desperate at the same time. “I know,” I admit quietly, letting my defenses drop for the first time since this conversation began.
Her gaze softens for just a moment before she turns away again, fixing her eyes on the elevator doors.
“What do you want from me?” she asks quietly now. “I thought we had something special.”
I want to scream out that we have, and I know how far off course I’ve led us both. Instead, all that comes out is a whisper. “I want you to trust me.”
She sighs. “I did trust you.”
Did?
My frustration surges again as I step between her and the elevator door.
She shakes her head. “I thought I could do this, but I can’t.”
“You can’t be with me?”
A ripple runs down her throat. “I don’t want to be hurt again. When you offered me the deal, I thought it was perfect, but now—”
“You’re not going anywhere, Amelia.” My frustrated tone sounds like a growl. “You’re staying here with me because I want you to. And because I know you want to be here. You were never a deal to me.”
The weight of my words hangs between us as she stares at me, searching my face for something more.
“I was never a deal?” she questions. “Then why did I sign an NDA?”
“Because for the first time in my life, I wanted to be real with someone. I trusted you not to talk about me, and what you’ll learn about me, but…” I swallow. “I also had to protect the business, and what you’ll learn in the coming months.”
She nods slowly as realization dawns on her. “You’re planning a takeover.”
“So, I knew I never needed a fake engagement. I knew I only had to put my father off for a few months, but…”
She narrows her eyes, waiting.
“I used it as an excuse to get close to you,” I admit. “East was still finding me someone in the entertainment industry who would fit the bill. But in a serendipitous moment, you landed in my lap…or more specifically, on my couch.”
“Serendipitous.”
“Or fate. You broke up with your boyfriend, slept on my couch at work. I needed to find someone quick. I admit that I was worried about it being so soon after you broke up with Felix. But…” I take a deep breath. “I decided it was fate.”
“Fate–” The word lingers on her tongue.
Our eyes meet and I nod. “Yep, fate.”
She smiles. “You don’t know what you’re saying,” she whispers finally, but there’s still uncertainty etched on her face.
“I know exactly what I’m saying, and so do you.”
Her mouth opens, letting out a small gasp.
“Now let me show you,” I urge, holding out my hand.
Take it and let me erase every ounce of doubt lurking in your mind.
I stand there; hand outstretched, desperate for her to take it. She looks at me like I’ve just grown a second head.
“Fate?” she says again, like she is considering it herself.