“No. But as business men, he may have seen my point of view, and hopefully what I offered is of more value than the Potters.” If not, then we block the sale.
“You’re talking in riddles Ethan. And honestly, I’m not in the mood for it.”
“My company will honor pricing for him that he wouldn’t get otherwise.”
“What company are you talking about Ethan?”
“Lawson Steel.”
“You’re that Lawson?” she asked.
“I’m one of them. And don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” she crossed her arms. “You mean like you did when you found out who I was? As though I wasn’t forthcoming? That I was…deceitful? Does any of this sound familiar Ethan? Because right now, you seem to be doing worse than what you accused me of.”
“It’s not like that Kollette. I was trying to help.”
“And I was doing my job,” she said firmly. “What was your reason?”
He had thought he had a valid one. The look on her face said it wasn’t. “I did what I thought would save the Potters land.”
“And sleeping with me? Is that part of the ‘doing what you need to’?” she said in a disgusted tone.
“God no. Kollette, what we shared has nothing to do with the Potters,” he said firmly. “You have to believe me.”
When he reached for her, she pulled away. “I’m not sure what I believe right now. You can say it has nothing to do with the Potters, but everything so far has. Our crossing paths, you meeting with my father, and you following me here. The only thing that connects it all…is the Potters.”
“Kollette, what are you saying?”
“That I think you should go,” she said, not looking at him.
“You need to believe me. I’d never do anything to hurt you,” he said.
She turned to him, her arms crossed, “But you did. Now if you don’t mind. I’d like to go and get dressed. I have something I need to do, and no, I don’t need your help.”
Ethan wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she forgave him. The problem was, she had every right to be pissed. He’d fucked up. He thought telling her when he returned would suffice. Not even close. Ethan crossed the line. Now he paid the price.
Getting up off the bed, he walked to the door. Before opening it he turned back to her and said, “Kollette, I mean it. I never wanted to hurt you. Everything I did was for you.”
He saw her eyes begin to water, and soon the tears would flow. As though she couldn’t even stand to see his face, she turned away and said, “No Ethan. Everything you did was for you.”
He left her alone, and it was killing him. Kollette was a strong woman, and yet she was crying because of his actions. Ethan could come up with excuses to justify what he’d done, but that wouldn’t change the fact that he’d sworn not to hurt her, and yet he did.
What was I thinking? She didn’t need me to take care of her. Just to love and support her. And instead, I tried to control the entire situation. Make decisions for her.
As he walked out of the hotel, he knew what Charles had meant. Lawson men excel in getting in their own way. Kollette had been so open with him. None of this would’ve happened if he’d done the same. He deserved to lose her. That didn’t mean he wanted to.
There was only one thing left he could do to show her how much he cared. Pulling out his cell phone he called Seth.
“Get the contract ready. I’ll work on getting the Potters to sign it.”
Kollette didn’t want to hear it. “Connor, I can’t believe you’re defending him. I’m your sister.”
“Just because I’m not taking your side doesn’t mean I’m defending Ethan. What he did was wrong. He should’ve told you he was going to see your father. But I agreed with his reasoning behind it,” Connor said.
“That’s because you men don’t think we women can take care of ourselves. We don’t always need your protection,” she snapped.
Connor said in a calm tone, “You make it sound as though the Potters are your friends, and not his. If I’m correct, he’s known them for years. You’ve just met them.”