Eve forced a smile. It was good he thought he stunk because if he held her right now she’d fall apart.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his blue eyes earnest. “Something else with Mark?”
“No.” A tear spilled over and she hurriedly brushed it away.
“What happened, love? What did John do?”
Eve had to get this out. She pulled her hands free and stood, walking around her chair and against the wall to create some distance between them. Beck stood and he looked even more incredible. Were his insides as perfect as his outsides like she’d come to believe or had she been duped again? Anger rose inside her. She was done being the trusting weakling. She was strong—raising her daughter on her own, putting herself through school, buying the gym, standing up to Mark. She could do this.
“I just have one question,” she said slowly and carefully.
“Ask me anything,” Beck said, but there was concern in his eyes now. Not just concern for her, but concern for what she would ask.
“If you are married by… your birthday.” It came to her even though she wasn’t certain that was true. “Will you inherit billions?”
The instant alarm and distress in Beck’s eyes was all the confirmation she needed. He held up his hands. “Listen, Eve. I was going to tell you.”
“Oh, you were? When? On our honeymoon?” The horror of that fear choked her. Mark had ditched her on their honeymoon. Would Beck have done the same? She put a hand to her throat.
“No. Tonight. You remember how I said I had something big to share with you?” He forced a smile. “Surprise.”
Eve’s eyes widened and a fury stronger than what she’d felt toward Mark surfaced. She stomped toward Beck and poked him in the chest. “At least Mark came clean eventually. You just planned on keeping on lying to me, didn’t you?”
Beck’s blue gaze filled with anger as well. “Never compare me to that scum-ball. I would never hurt you like that. I love you. I love Paisley.”
Eve didn’t want to hear about his love. “If you loved me, you would’ve told me the truth.”
“I am telling you the truth. It’s not about the money.”
Eve glared at him. “Keep telling yourself that, maybe someday you’ll believe it, but I never will.” Grabbing her purse off her desk, she stomped around him, half expecting and hoping for him to grab her arm and try to explain. His explanation might be more lies. She didn’t know how to wade through to the truth. She didn’t know anything right now.
She rushed from her office, down the stairs, and to the daycare hallway, glancing over her shoulder but he didn’t follow. Lucky. Or miserably unlucky. She couldn’t sort it all out right now, she was too upset and felt too betrayed. Beck marrying her for money was a pain worse than she’d ever known, even with Mark. What she had with Mark had only ever been infatuation. With Beck, she’d fallen so hard she was sure every bone was now broken. She loved him. Desperately. And he’d just shattered her trust and her heart along with it.
She was able to fake it well enough to get Paisley from the kids’ club, with only minimal questioning glances from Abbie, and quickly leave through the back entrance of the gym. Paisley kept asking where Beck was but Eve couldn’t even answer her.
A few minutes later, she was surprised to find herself in her Cherokee with no sign of Beck chasing her. It just confirmed all of her fears. If he loved her, if he was innocent, he would’ve chased her down and explained it all.
Tears streaked down her face as she turned on Paisley’s favorite kid rock station and handed her daughter her phone to play with. She couldn’t go home. Too many memories there of Beck and too much risk of him going there.
She turned east toward Denver on Highway 58. She’d go to Caleb and Emily’s. She didn’t know if she could tell them the truth either, but maybe she’d stay with them or maybe she’d have her dad send his jet and she’d go to Jackson Hole. The house had just been renovated after the fire last year and her parents had been begging her to come visit.
She should go home and pack a bag but it would be easier to go to a store and buy what they needed than chance Beck coming after her. She’d have her gym manager take over for her. She should put more trust in him anyway. He’d be happy with the opportunity to prove himself.
Eve gripped the steering wheel. The music, the noises from Paisley’s game, and Paisley’s happy chatter all bounced around and off of her but none of them computed. She couldn’t even tell what song was on.
She should be glad that she had a plan: get to Caleb’s and then get to Jackson Hole. But nothing felt right. Nothing felt right without Beck. No. She couldn’t think like that. He’d lied to her for money just like Mark had. She was running from Beck.
As tears slid down her face, she started wondering if she was insane. She had an incredible man professing his love and because of a misunderstanding, she was running away. It was a pretty huge misunderstanding and with her past marriage, it hit far too close to home. Maybe she just needed some distance from the situation and from Beck, then she could see more clearly. If that logic was sound then heading to Jackson Hole and the safety of her parents was the perfect idea. She’d get away with Paisley on a little vacation. She’d have time to process and know how to proceed with Beck. Yet Beck wouldn’t be there. Without him around she felt empty and lethargic.
She pushed it all away and drove. Ten more minutes and she’d be at Caleb’s house. He and Emily could help her sort this out. If she got brave enough to even share. She’d always been the quiet one, the one who didn’t make a stir, complain, or get too excited about anything. She knew her family would be more than happy to listen to any story she’d share. Then they’d get mad for her, support her, help her talk through this, and figure out what was right for her. Sadly, she hadn’t even trusted her own family with Mark’s deception as she insisted on doing everything on her own: raising Paisley, putting herself through college, and running her own gym. She always did it herself. Never wanting to burden anyone, even though she knew they didn’t look at it like that. They all tried to be around and help her as much as she’d allow.
Since Mark, she’d never fully trusted anyone. Not even her own family… until Beck. She’d given him her trust, her love, and relied on him completely.
At that moment her phone rang. The phone display on her dash said it was Beck. She quickly pushed the end call button on the screen in front of her before Paisley could answer the phone in her hands. Immediately, she regretted pushing it. She wanted to hear his voice. She wanted to hear what he had to say. She really wanted to stop driving and bang her head against the steering wheel. She hated her weakness. If only she could turn the car around and beg Beck to marry her, give her a chance, and learn to love her for her and not for the money. She’d work so hard to make him happy.
Gripping the steering wheel, she focused on getting to Caleb’s. She wouldn’t be weak for a man. Never again.
* * *
Beck waited in Eve’s office when she stormed past him and headed down the stairs. She was probably going back to work or maybe to get Paisley early. He needed to shower before they went to lunch, but he’d give her some time to calm down. They’d go get lunch and talk this out.
He walked slowly down the stairs from her office so he wouldn’t miss Eve. Wherever she’d stormed off to she’d have to come past the staircase, right? He waited for maybe ten minutes. Then he started to get concerned. He headed back to the daycare center. Abbie confirmed that Eve had picked up Paisley ten minutes ago. Had she slipped by him somehow? He ran through the gym and outside, angling for the parking lot. Her black Cherokee was gone.
He pushed her name on his recent call list. It rang once and hung up. He tried a few more times with the same result. She was hanging up on him? He left a message, asking her to call him back so he could explain. He texted the same thing to her phone and then he drove to her house and banged on the door for a while. Nobody home.
Where could she have gone? Why was she ditching him? He thought he’d let her calm down and then he’d tell her the entire story of Papa’s ultimatum, but how could he explain if she wouldn’t answer his calls? If she was running from him?
He stood in front of her house and tried her phone one more time. It rang and then hung up. He listened to her sweet voice asking him to leave a message and then he spoke into the phone, “Eve…” He raked a hand through his hair and paced the porch. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the money earlier. Please call me back so I can explain. I love you so much. Please give me a chance.” He didn’t know what else to say without breaking down and telling her how desperately he needed her, how he didn’t want to be without her. Did she even care?