Page 40 of Begin Again

“Hi, sweetheart. You got me for five minutes before my next meeting. I’m walking there now.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, Dad. Just wanted to say hello.”

She heard a whooshing sound, then his voice low in the phone. “Bull. I can hear from your tone, you never call me in the middle of the day to just say hi. Is it Owen?”

She laughed, rubbing her temple. “Yes, but not how you think it is. We’re still deliriously happy. It’s just, something weird is going on with him and I thought I’d get your perspective.”

“Shoot.”

She explained the job offer, Owen’s reaction, and the mention of money. “He kept looking at me funny and repeating that the money was good, and the job was secure.”

“Nothing wrong with that. Maybe he’s trying to show you he’s serious about your relationship. That he can take care of you for the future.”

She practically gagged, then heard a loud yell from Alyssa. “Ouch, okay, sorry. Chloe? Alyssa said that was egotistical and chauvinistic and that you need no one to take care of yourself but you.”

A smile curved her lips. “Good. She’s right.”

“I know. But maybe Owen is stuck on a battle plan. You know instead of trying to woo you to date him, he’s trying to woo you to settle down and trust him in a committed relationship.”

She blew out a breath. “Dad, you’re not making sense to me.”

“Okay, let’s try again. See, men get caught up with this old-fashioned ideal of being worthy of the women we love. Maybe Owen is just trying to prove he’s a good risk for your heart. That he won’t leave you again. Money, to many, equals security. Maturity. Happiness. You may want to ask him if he wants to take this job for you.”

Her jaw dropped as the sudden realization slammed through her. “How do I get him to admit it?”

A door slammed. A few mutters drifted in the air. “Not sure. Maybe take a risk. Give him something you’re afraid of too, and then you’ll be even. You really love him, don’t you?”

Her voice softened. “Yeah, I really love him.”

“Good. I found out Drew is an asshole. Heard he pulled your funds from his Foundation.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’m the governor. I try to know everything in my state, especially when it affects your organization. You’ll be receiving a call from Carlos—he worked with Harper at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. He’s putting your name in for a brand-new grant. Sorry, sweetheart, gotta go. Good luck—call me tonight.”

The phone clicked.

God, she loved her father. She was so lucky to have him in her life.

Chloe laid the phone carefully on her desk. Suddenly everything began to make sense. The pressure from their past combined with Jonathan’s demands for him to be worthy of her, of Drew’s questioning, of his grandfather’s legacy—too many voices had gotten into his head in his quest for perfection.

She needed to show him they’d never be perfect. That he didn’t have to be worthy of her.

They needed to be worthy of each other.

It was time to take the risk.

When Owen walked into his apartment, he thought there was a power outage.

He blinked in the darkness, then focused on the endless flicker of candlelight that seemed to burst from every corner. Gus-Gus bounded over in a frenzy, and Owen scooped him up, laughing as he wriggled against him in pure delight. “Hey, buddy, do you know what’s going on?”

“I’m cooking us dinner.”

He moved farther into the room and saw her. It took a few minutes for his big brain to kick in, because his little one had taken over.

Chloe stood in his kitchen dressed in a frilly black apron.

And nothing else.