“Welcome home,” Zack says, offering her a gentle smile. I put my arm around Cullen’s shoulder as I lead her inside.
“Mom won’t be coming back here,” Zack says. “I spoke to security. I signed Jelena’s last paycheck… I also booked you two a vacation.”
Cullen looks up at me in confusion.
“I didn’t ask him to do that,” I muttered.
“It’s an apology,” Zack says. “Our mother is a hateful woman who would trade her children for an extra CC of botox.”
“It’s not what our mother said,” I mutter. “It’s what I said. And I regret hurting you and… Zack can confirm that nothing cruel I said had an ounce of truth to it.”
“If I knew you would fall in love with your wife, I would have plotted my revenge differently,” Zack responds, smirking in away that is a little too light-hearted considering how close I came to losing Cullen. I shut the door behind us.
“I’m taking her upstairs. When are those flights?”
Cullen looks at me nervously at the mention of flights again.
“Well, you’re taking the jet so… flexible to a degree. I have to put your flight plan in by midnight and I thought you could leave at ten in the morning.”
“Will you tell uswherewe’re going on vacation?” I ask my brother. Zack smirks and shakes his head.
“It’s a surprise. Don’t worry, I called staff over from the guest house to pack your things and I have secondary background checks scheduled for while you’re gone. It’ll be much easier for you to maintain your privacy… tomorrow evening when you land.”
I raise an eyebrow, but my brother’s impenetrable smirk tells me that there will be no wrestling the location out of him without putting in more effort than I’d like. I need to save all my efforts for my wife.
“Perfect,” I respond, giving my brother an appreciative nod, which he returns. It was foolish for me to feel so jealous of how he cares for Cullen. I should be happy that they get along.If nothing else, maybe their friendship will convince her to stay.
My hand slides from Cullen’s shoulder to hers. I want to feel her pulse and the softness from her fingers. There’s so much more I want to happen between us tonight. We express some more sentiments and say goodbye to my brother before we walk upstairs together. I can practically feel Cullen’s shoulders slumping with disappointment. Each of her steps next to mine feels so heavy.
“Are you cold?” I ask before opening our bedroom door. She looks up at me with wide, absolutely gorgeous dark brown eyes. Cullen’s lashes flutter downwards.
“No,” she says. “It’s not too bad.”
“Good. I’m glad you warmed up quickly.”
We walk into the bedroom and just as I feared, Cullen turns around sharply and her face contorts in anguish. “I can’t get on a plane with you, Padraic.”
“Why not?”
“You keep trying to bring me closer. And I feel it. I feel closer to you… But I’m not enough of a wife for you to fly me around the world and treat me like a princess. I’m not a princess. I can’t fall head over heels in love. I can’t lose my head just because we fell for each other. I’m college educated. I might have been poor, but I’m not an idiot.”
“I never thought you were.Never.”
“Then… You’re not… I haven’t said that I love you,” Cullen says.
“I don’t expect the words to fly out of your mouth, Cullen. It’s my job to make this marriage safe enough for you to fall in love.”
She looks at me with confusion. I take a step towards her.
“Is that it, then? I don’t care, Cullen. It’s my job to make this feel safe for you. To make you feel cherished. If I don’t do that, I don’t deserve to hear those words.”
Her eyes look watery. “I can’t–
“Quiet,” I respond insistently. “Pack your things. Let’s go on that trip Zack planned. Worry about love when we get there… wherever there might be.”
She hesitates, but perhaps sensing my unwillingness to budge, Cullen sighs and agrees to get on the jet with me.
“Okay,” she says. “I should take a shower first.”