“Okay, my turn. You mind a frank question?”
“Not at all.”
“Why are you giving me all this advice?”
Victoria reached over and squeezed her hand. “Something about you remind
s me of the old me, and in the beginning Damien had to reassure me that everything would be fine and that I was fabulous just as I was. I know you’ve been married for three years now, but if you and Gavin are having problems, talk. Let him know what you’re thinking, what you’re afraid of. He’s your husband, and it’s his job to make you happy.”
Amandine squeezed back. She was still skeptical, but now there was a small kernel of hope. She could change—no, learn. Things could work out. She’d been passive in her marriage, letting Gavin and his staff take charge because she’d never felt like she knew anything. But if she took more ownership, made Gavin realize his wife was worthy, made her in-laws see that she wasn’t some awkward unsophisticated girl who’d just gotten lucky…she might be able to save her marriage.
* * *
“I’d short these guys rather than investing with them,” Gavin said, looking over the documents.
Sitting in the only other armchair in the living room, Damien pursed his mouth. “That bad?”
Gavin tossed the papers on the coffee table. “Stay away from them.”
Damien shook his head. “What would I do without you?”
“Lose a few hundred thousand bucks? Which you can afford, though it’d be unpleasant.”
“True.” Damien lowered his voice. “Gavin, it’s not my place, but… What’s going on with you and your wife? I don’t know the full story behind the photos on Facebook, but nobody sees Craig Richmond and Samantha Jones just for the hell of it. And Amandine seems a bit…subdued.”
Shit. So the news was really out. “Amandine wants a divorce.”
“Damn. Sorry to hear that. Guess it’s not mutual?”
He shook his head. “My kid isn’t going to grow up without a father.”
When he didn’t say more, Damien raised both eyebrows. “That’s all?”
Gavin shrugged. He wasn’t used to explaining himself to anybody.
“Yet she’s here with you,” Damien continued. “Did you somehow figure out a way to keep her?”
“Sort of. I’m good at problem solving, remember?”
Damien grew thoughtful. “If divorce is what she really wants, she’ll eventually get it. If not now, then later.”
“Not without a fight. And I fight dirty.”
“You learned from an expert.” Damien knew a lot—though not all—about Jacob and Gavin’s history. Ethan had wisely removed himself from the toxic home environment. Besides, he was too close to Jacob’s age for the oldest Lloyd brother to torment with impunity. “Do you really want her to be with you? Both of you might be happier if you weren’t together. Some marriages just aren’t meant to be, children or no.”
Gavin shook his head. “It’s not like that. Amandine and I have something good.”
“How so?”
“She… She makes me calm and content. Peaceful. I want to make her as happy as she makes me.” Gavin stood up and started pacing. “The idea of losing her makes me sweaty with panic. It’s not like the kind of…distasteful bitterness I felt when Catherine chose Jacob.” Besides, if Amandine found him so objectionable, she wouldn’t respond to him in bed the way she did. He was showing her how much he valued her. Why wouldn’t it work out? “Amandine’s just in a snit over our anniversary dinner—which I missed—and this.” He raised his left hand to show to Damien the naked ring finger.
“What happened?”
Gavin gave his friend a succinct summary. “I know, I screwed up. Trust me, it won’t happen again.”
Damien nodded with approval.
“I think we’re going to be able to make it work. Amandine promised to give it another shot, a best shot.”