“You know what the problem here is, Mr. Wyndham?”
“The unwarranted role reversal?”
But she went on as if his words were the very opposite of wisdom. “It’s the fact that you’ve read too many books on finance and coffee but not enough romance.”
“For fuck’s sake—”
“Let me just ask you two questions,” Anah offered calmly, “and if answering them doesn’t make you realize it was love between the two of you, I’ll happily order humble pie at your cafe for the entire week.”
Slade wanted to tell her this whole fucking thing was stupid and pointless, but considering how much of a notorious cheapskate Anah was, the billionaire knew she wasn’t just saying those words for nothing.
“If you could make up the rules that would determine what true love was, what would be the one non-negotiable thing you’d demand from all couples?”
Time.
You had to know each other for a long time.
But he remembered how Ethan and Guilia had been dating for a decade, and he realized that time wasn’t enough.
So what was left?
He kept waiting for thoughts of Kady to come into his mind, but instead he found himself thinking of someone else.
Penny.
Slade inhaled sharply, but the memories kept coming.
Penny crying…hurting…begging…
Every memory of her was a burden, and even the good times they shared left a bitter taste on his tongue.
And that was when he heard himself say, “They have to make each other happy. Even with all the ups and downs, just the sight of the other person would be enough. You wouldn’t even have to say you weren’t alright, wouldn’t have to teach the other person how to make you smile—”
A hazy image started forming in his mind.
“Just being there is enough.”
And he remembered Kady hugging him at the university parking lot, just hugging him.
Anah tried not to cry as she saw the truth slowly dawn on the billionaire’s face. “I think you already know what my next question is,” she said shakily, “but I’ll ask it anyway.”
Slade’s handsome gaze was ashen now.
“The person who’s all those things…you’ve met her already, haven’t you?”
Chapter Twenty
You Were Meant For Me
* * *
“You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. ” ~ Steve Jobs
* * *
“So you could hurt her again?”
Slade’s jaw hardened. “I don’t know how much she’s told you—”
“Nothing much at first,” she said coldly. “You had her crying so hard she could barely string two words together when she came here.” She saw his face whiten, but it still wasn’t enough.
Images of Kady crying flayed him, and the billionaire could feel himself drowning in self-contempt and desperation. God. He had never meant to hurt her that way. And he would never ever hurt her again…if she only gave him one last chance.
“I was an idiot,” he said hoarsely. “I hurt her when she only deserved to be cherished. But it’s different now—”