Shaking his head, he said, “She didn’t like to talk about them. The only thing that I knew was that we were on our own. She did her best, but sometimes it wasn’t enough. Every time she tried to get ahead, something would knock her back on her ass. I’d lost count of how many times we ended up on the street, sleeping in shelters, seedy motels, but I remember every time my mother cried. She just…”
“It’s okay,” Andi said, pulling her hands free so that she could reach up and cup his face in her hands when his words trailed off as he clenched his jaw shut, the pain in his eyes making it difficult to breathe.
God, he looked so lost.
“It took time, but she finally managed to get it together enough that she was able to get off the streets, but even then, she struggled. She worked sixteen-hour days, grabbing every shift that she could get her hands on, and I hated her for it. I hated seeing her struggle, hated the fact that it was never enough, and I hated the fact that she wouldn’t let me help her.”
“We were a team,” Devyn said with a humorless chuckle as he reached up and took her hands in his again, pressing a kiss to the back of each hand before dropping them back in his lap. “My job was to go to school, get good grades, and stay out of trouble. I tried to help whenever I could, but it was never enough. When I was in high school, I went to the factory and asked for a job, but my mother wasn’t having it.”
“She’d dragged me back to school, making sure that I knew how much she was counting on me to make something of myself so that she never had to worry about me. That’s all she wanted. It was the only thing that she ever asked from me and when she passed away when I was sixteen, I was determined to do more than that. I worked my ass off, took every class that I could, applied for every scholarship that I could find, and picked up shifts washing dishes, mopping floors, and scrubbing toilets, any job that I could get my hands on so that I could pay for college. I busted my ass in college, put in more hours studying than anyone else, continued working my ass off, saving every penny that I could get my hands on.”
“After I graduated, I started at the bottom, took every shift I could get my hands on, read every book that I could find that I thought would help, and worked my way up to the top and when I heard about the position at Carta Hotels, I went after it, knowing that if I could pull it off that it would be enough,” Devyn explained while she sat there, thinking over what he’d said and…
“That really doesn’t explain why you quit,” Andi said, releasing his hands so that she could fold her arms over her chest while she waited for an answer.
“Because they demanded that I give up the one thing in my life that I can’t live without,” Devyn said as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers before adding, “You.”
“You quit for me?” Andi asked hollowly, hating that he thought that he had to do that. She would have stepped back and let him go if it meant-
“God, yes,” he said, smiling against her lips.
“Why?” she found herself asking as he leaned back.
“Because I’m in love with you, Andi,” Devyn said, his expression softening as he watched her.
“But all that work…” Andi mumbled sadly, making him chuckle.
“Would it help if I told you that I was able to more than meet the conditions of my contract and that they are going to honor the raise, stock options, and everything that will set us up nicely for quite some time?” he asked, smiling as he leaned in to kiss her again.
“No, no, it does not,” she mumbled sadly, hating that he had to do this.
“How about this? What if I told you that I hated my job and the only time I enjoyed it was when I was working with you?” Devyn asked, somewhat appeasing her.
“I suppose that makes sense,” Andi said with a nod of understanding.
“And what if I told you that I wanted to spend the next six months in bed with you?” he asked as he kissed that spot on her neck that really made it difficult to think.
“And then?” Andi asked, struggling to focus.
Smiling against her neck, he said, “I’m sure we’ll think of something.”