Page 86 of Better Off Wed
It was so shocking that I laughed. And it wasn’t shocking at all. Because hadn’t that been exactly the type of thing she saidabout me all the time? That it was no surprise I wasn’t married. That I would never find someone if I kept acting the way I did. That the problem was me, me, me.
And I realized it wasn’t Henry who had taken a chisel to my self-esteem. It was my mother. She’d bullied me from the time I was a child and made me feel like I was worthless. Henry hadn’t caused those cracks; he’d simply exploited them.
My dad, sister, and brother had stood by and enabled her, because it was easier to watch my mother torment someone else than it was to be in her crosshairs.
I’d lived my entire life feeling like I wasn’t good enough, and it had started with her.
I would never speak to her again.
A weight dropped from my shoulders. “Goodbye, Mother,” I said, and I turned toward the exit and walked out. A gust of wind hit me as soon as I stepped outside, the chill of autumn already in the air. I welcomed it, turning into the wind as I inhaled. It was crisp and salty, and it froze the tears in my eyes before they had a chance to fall.
I would never be my mother’s punching bag again. I would never go on another family vacation. And I wouldneversleep on a pull-out couch for as long as I fucking lived.
Gideon stalked behind me, saying nothing as we got into his car. I stared out the window, feeling light and heavy all at once. He turned on the car and cool air started coming in through the vents, but he didn’t start driving.
“I’m really sorry,” I said. “You shouldn’t have had to listen to that. My mother is a bully.”
“Nothing I haven’t heard before.” He pulled out of the lot and said nothing more.
“She’s wrong, Gideon.”
“She’s not.” He shrugged. “It is what it is. We both know you can do better than me.”
A disbelieving laugh fell out of me. “Better than you? Are you serious right now?”
“Come on, Sadie. We don’t look right with each other. Ivan said it himself. Beauty and the Beast.”
“Ivan is an asshole. And so is my mother, by the way.”
“Being an asshole doesn’t mean you’re a liar.”
“This is ridiculous.” I crossed my arms. “You’re the most attractive man I’ve ever met, and you’re talking like you’re some kind of ogre. And even if you were an ogre, you think that’s a dealbreaker! Do you think so little of me?”
Gideon just scoffed and put the car in gear. The chasm between us widened. I wanted to reach over and touch him, but I felt like I didn’t have the right. We drove in silence all the way to the Marswood Security building. When Gideon turned off the engine, he finally looked at me.
“When do you leave?” The warmth had gone out of him. He looked at me like I was an employee, or a customer, or a stranger.
I met his gaze. I wanted to cry. “Can we talk about this? I feel like you’re taking it the wrong way.”
“I’m just asking you when you’re leaving, Sadie.” He sounded tired as he stared at the concrete wall in front of us.
My throat tightened. “I have a call with the bride and the planner later to hammer out the details. But probably tomorrow. The next day at the latest.”
A muscle bulged in his jaw and was gone again. He nodded. “Okay.”
I couldn’t take this—couldn’t take being iced out by the man I loved. Desperate, I told him, “It’s the only way of saving the business. Otherwise I’d have to take your grandma’s offer.”
His brows tugged together, and he finally met my gaze again. “My grandma’s offer?”
I’d never told him. Why hadn’t I told him?
But the answer to that was easy—it was because I’d been petrified of hearing what he’d say about it. If he tried to tell me to refuse the deal, I would’ve taken it as him telling me he didn’t want me to stay. And if he’d told me to take the deal, I would’ve worried that he wanted leverage over me, the way Henry had wanted leverage by becoming my main client stream.
I hadn’t trusted him. Not fully. Not with this.
“Your grandma offered me an investment deal,” I finally croaked. “She’d help me reopen the business and lease me Life’s a Stitch for an ownership stake.”
His face didn’t move an inch. His voice was flat. “It’s what she does. What did you tell her?”
