His shoulders rode slightly higher than usual, and his stride was quick as he went to the car. Amandine sighed, furious with herself for ruining the good mood and connection they’d established.
Don’t let this destroy the rest of the day. You can salvage it. Gavin’s not the type to hold a grudge. Give him time to decompress, then apologize and you’ll be all right.
But every word she said seemed to undermine their relationship and slice him, despite her best intentions. And she didn’t know how they could make their marriage work if they couldn’t talk about something as inoffensive as college without hurting each other.
Chapter Fourteen
GAVIN WATCHED AMANDINE go to their room, her hips swaying in unconscious feminine beauty as she went up the staircase. Fern nodded at him, letting him know the studio was ready.
He’d planned to surprise her after the lunch at Damien’s, but he couldn’t bring himself to be near her, not when he felt like she’d kicked him in the balls.
College.
When she first mentioned the idea, he’d assumed it signaled her intention to stay. That the demand for divorce had been nothing more than a stunt to get his attention. But apparently she was still serious about going through the ridiculous farce of a breakup.
How could she, after last night? Who the hell went their separate ways after they made a baby together?
He closed his eyes briefly. A lot of people. If only childless couples split up, the divorce rate wouldn’t be hovering around fifty percent…and lawyers like Samantha Jones and Craig Richmond wouldn’t be so flush.
Pissed off at the world, Gavin stalked around the main house. Did it matter what she wanted right now? He still had over three months to work with. Her thinking about getting a degree was a good omen. There was no way she would go to college as a single mom—with a newborn—without the help he could give her. She wasn’t a parasite who expected him to take care of her or the baby if their divorce became official.
But you ruined it all by offering her your unconditional support, didn’t you? You could’ve pretended like she’d be on her own if she left you, and she’d have to personally finance a half-million dollar tuition.
He shook his head. It had to be some kind of character flaw of his that he couldn’t be a ruthless asshole. People who played nice never won. He’d seen it over the years. If he could be just a bit more of a hardass, he might have already found a way to convince Amandine to stay. After all, there were lots of things he could use against her—her brother, whom he could threaten to fire and get blacklisted at every decent employer, or Brooke, whom he could plot to ruin.
Really? That’s how you want to hold on to her?
Dammit. Of course not. Gavin wanted her to stay with him because that was what she wanted…because he made her happy.
He found a package addressed to him in the office. He tore it open, his fingers rougher than necessary. Better to take it out on the box than one of the staff. Inside the thick padding was a white velvet cube.
The replacement wedding band.
Since Amandine had been upset over the loss of the wedding band and Catherine had been ignoring his calls, he’d asked his jeweler to make him an exact duplicate. If nothing else, this should make his wife happier. She took stuff like this pretty seriously, more so than he did, as though an object had the power to make or break their marriage.
He shook his head. Definitely a woman thing.
Still, he wasn’t beneath using that to his advantage. Feeling more optimistic, he went to the master bedroom suite, box in hand.
* * *
Amandine parked herself in front of the vanity and sighed.
Why did she have to mention college and ruin a good thing? If it hadn’t been for that, Gavin would’ve followed her into the bedroom. And made love to her until she didn’t know which way was up.
No matter what problems they had, she couldn’t deny he was an amazing lover. His touch had the power to make her believe she was the only woman in the world for him. Maybe it was foolish to crave the sensation—after all, it wasn’t really real as long as he didn’t love her—but she couldn’t help it that she ached for the fantasy if only for the brief moments they sha
red their bodies.
“Amandine,” came Gavin’s voice from the doorway.
She chewed her lower lip and looked at him. How could she ease the tension she’d created?
He extended a hand. “Come with me.”
“Okay.” She got up and wrapped her hand around his.
He led her to one of the guest bedrooms. “Close your eyes,” he murmured into her ear.