“That’s a beautiful watch,” she said, looking at my new one.
“Thank you.” My hand covered it, protecting it. The timepiece was priceless to me, and deeply personal. “Gideon bought it for me.”
She looked horrified. “You didn’t tell him about the tracker, did you?”
“I tell him everything, Mom. We don’t have any secrets.”
“Maybe you don’t. What about him?”
“We’re solid,” I said confidently. “And getting stronger every day.”
“Oh.” She nodded, her short curls swaying gently. “That’s … wonderful, Eva. He can take good care of you.”
“He already does, in the way I need him to, which has nothing to do with his money.”
My mother’s lips tightened at my bitter tone. She didn’t actually frown, something she studiously avoided to protect the flawlessness of her skin. “Don’t be so quick to dismiss money, Eva. You never know when or why you’ll need it.”
Irritation simmered through me. She’d put money first my whole life, no matter who she hurt—like my father—in the process.
“I don’t,” I argued. “I just won’t let it rule my life. And before you blurt out something like, oh it’s easy for me to say that, I can guarantee if Gideon lost every cent he had, I’d still be with him.”
“He’s too smart to lose it all,” she said tightly. “And if you’re lucky, you’ll never have anything happen that will drain you financially.”
I sighed, exasperated with the topic. “We’re never going to see eye to eye on this, you know.”
Her beautifully manicured fingers stroked over the handle of her silverware. “You’re so angry at me.”
“Do you realize Dad’s in love with you? He’s so in love with you, he can’t move on. I don’t think he’ll ever get married. He’ll never have a steady woman in his life who’ll take care of him.”
She swallowed hard and a tear slid down her cheek.
“Don’t you dare cry,” I ordered, leaning forward. “This isn’t about you. You’re not the victim here.”
“I’m not allowed to feel pain?” she retorted, her voice harder than I’d ever heard it. “I’m not allowed to cry over a broken heart? I love your father, too. I would give anything for him to be happy.”
“You don’t love him enough.”
“Everything I’ve done is for love. Everything.” She laughed humorlessly. “My God … I wonder how you can stand to be with me when you hold such a low opinion.”
“You’re my mother and you’ve always been on my side. You’re always trying to protect me, even if you go about it the wrong way. I love you and Dad both. He’s a good man who deserves to be happy.”
She took a shaky sip of water. “If it weren’t for you, I’d wish we had never met. We both would’ve been happier that way. There’s nothing I can do about it now.”
“You could be with him. Make him happy. You seem to be the only woman who can.”
“That’s impossible,” she whispered.
“Why? Because he’s not rich?”
“Yes.” Her hand went to her throat. “Because he’s not rich.”
Brutal honesty. My heart sank. There was a bleak look in her blue eyes I’d never seen before. What drove her to need money so desperately? Would I ever know or understand? “But you’re rich. Isn’t that enough?”
Over the course of three divorces, she’d amassed millions in personal wealth.
“No.”
I stared at her, incredulous.
She looked away, her three-carat diamond studs catching the light and glittering with a rainbow of colors. “You don’t understand.”
“So explain it to me, Mom. Please.”
Her gaze returned to me. “Maybe someday. When you’re not so upset with me.”
Sitting back in my chair, I felt a headache building. “Fine. I’m upset because I don’t understand, and you won’t explain because I’m upset. We’re getting nowhere fast.”
“I’m sorry, honey.” Her expression was pleading. “What happened between your father and me—”
“Victor. Why don’t you ever say his name?”
She flinched. “How long will you punish me?” she asked quietly.
“I’m not trying to punish you. I just don’t get it.”
It was crazy that we were sitting in a bright, busy space filled with people and dealing with painful personal crap. I wished she’d had me over to her place instead, the home she shared with Stanton. But I guessed she had wanted the buffer of an audience to keep me from totally losing it.
“Listen,” I said, feeling tired. “Cary and I are going to move out of the apartment, get something on our own.”
My mom’s shoulders straightened. “What? Why? Don’t be reckless, Eva! There’s no need—”
“There is, though. Nathan’s gone. And Gideon and I want to spend more time together—”
“What does that have to do with you moving away?” Her eyes flooded with tears. “I’m sorry, Eva. What more can I say?”
“This isn’t about you, Mom.” I tucked my hair behind my ear, fidgeting because her crying always got to me. “Okay, honestly, it does feel weird living in a place Stanton pays for after what happened between you and Dad, but more than that, Gideon and I want to live together. It just makes sense to start fresh someplace.”
“Live together?” My mother’s tears dried up. “Before marriage? Eva, no. That would be a horrible mistake. What about Cary? You brought him out to New York with you.”
“And he’ll stay with me.” I didn’t feel like telling her I hadn’t brought up the Gideon-as-a-roommate idea to Cary yet, but I was confident he’d be okay with it. I would be around more and the rent would be easier to bear when split in thirds. “It’ll be the three of us.”
“You don’t live with a man like Gideon Cross if you’re not married to him.” She leaned forward. “You have to trust me on this. Wait for the ring.”
“I’m not in a rush to get married,” I said, even as my thumb rubbed over the back of my ring.
“Oh my God.” My mother shook her head. “What are you saying? You love him.”
“It’s too soon. I’m too young.”
“You’re twenty-four. That’s the perfect age.” Determination straightened my mother’s spine. For once, that didn’t bother me, because it restored some of her spirit. “I’m not going to let you ruin this, Eva.”
“Mom—”
“No.” Her eyes took on a calculating gleam. “Trust me and slow down. I’ll handle this.”
Crap. That wasn’t at all reassuring when she was on Gideon’s side of the marriage argument and not mine.
I WAS STILL thinking about my mom when I left the Crossfire at five o’clock. The Bentley waited at the curb and as I walked up to it, Angus climbed out and smiled at me.
“Good evening, Eva.”
“Hi.” I smiled back. “How are you, Angus?”
“Excellent.” He rounded the rear of the car and opened the back door for me.
I searched his face. How much did he know about Nathan and Gideon? Did he know as much as Clancy? Or even more than that?
Slipping into the cool backseat, I pulled out my smartphone and called Cary. It went to voice mail, so I left a message. “Hey, just reminding you that I’ll be gone this weekend. Would you do me a favor and think about moving into a place we share with Gideon, and we can talk about it when I get back? Someplace new, that we can all afford. Not that he has to worry about that,” I added, imagining Cary’s expression. “Okay. If you need me and you can’t reach me on my cell, send me an e-mail. Love you.”
I’d just hit the end button when the door opened and Gideon joined me. “Hi, ace.”
He caught me by the back of the neck and kissed me, his mouth sealing over mine. His tongue licked into my mouth, tasting me, making my thoughts grind to a halt. I was breathless when he let me go.