If they’d met in any other circumstances, he would’ve liked her. But things were tense with Jacob’s bigamy and the company falling apart, and Gavin didn’t care for the complication of having a business rival’s granddaughter in their midst.
“Come on,” Meredith prompted.
“No,” he admitted grudgingly.
“And Ethan says she’s amazing with numbers.”
“She’s not too bad.” She was freakishly good, one of the best he’d ever seen based on the analysis she’d done on TLD.
“So be nice. Sterling blood or not, she’s going to help me save the company.”
And if things don’t work out, you can blame her. He swallowed the comment. “Just keep an eye on her. And I hope you succeed.”
“Thank you. I plan to.”
He poured her another finger, but she didn’t touch it. They sat in companionable silence as lights came on in houses around the neighborhood. Gavin took another long swallow. When was the last time he’d spent any time with his sister?
“Do you think I’m an asshole?” he asked.
She choked. “What?”
“Be honest. Am I an asshole?”
“No.” She stared at him wide-eyed. “Where did you get that idea?”
“Catherine. And the fact that my wife intends to divorce me.”
“I thought you guys were expecting.”
“It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t want me.”
“Oh my god.” Meredith put a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged. “I tried to work things out, but it wasn’t enough.” I wasn’t enough.
“I don’t understand. She loves you.”
How confused Meredith was. “Then why does she want to get rid of me?”
“I don’t know, Gavin. Things are complicated in relationships, but trust me. I’m saying it with a woman’s intuition: Amandine loves you. That’s why she married you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because of the kind of woman she is. She’s not interested in money or fame. She’s not the type to go around hooking up on a casual basis.”
Gavin stared out into the dusk. Pete had said Amandine had an unrealistic image of their parents’ marriage. She wanted what her mother and father had, even though they’d been poor and had struggled to get by.
Love.
She wanted love.
Jesus. It was one thing Gavin didn’t know how to deal with. He had done everything in his power to provide for her, make sure she never lacked for anything. He’d always given money to his ex-girlfriends, and it had made them happy. Why was Amandine different?
The idea of losing her made everything seem hopeless. But he didn’t know how to fix the mess without making matters even worse. He had no idea how to show her he loved her, and simply telling her “I love you” at th
is point was too late. Too much had been said and done, and she’d made it clear she could no longer bear to be with him in any way, not even for her own child’s sake. He should’ve figured it out sooner and said the words earlier. If he’d done so back in Samantha’s office, it could’ve worked.
He’d give up all his money if he could go back in time and do things over. But he had no such power, and all he could do was make sure Amandine would never lack for anything.