She gasped, affronted. “Would I marry anyone I didn’t?”
Only four other times. “Would you take care of him through thick and thin?”
“Jason, Geoffrey is ten years younger than me and in perfect health. Neither of us are on our death beds.”
And his mother was missing the point of the question completely, probably on purpose.
“Would you do anything to comfort him if he lost something priceless?” He couldn’t compare Gia’s unflagging support of her family after Tony’s death against his mother helping her next fiancé through a missing cuff link or whatever. The questions were soaring right over his mother’s head because she valued things far more than people.
She laughed off his questions. “I’m sure I’d find the appropriate words for such a moment and hand him a double Scotch. Where are you going with this?”
Jason winced and gave up explaining it to her. She had limitations, and he wouldn’t change her. But one thought resonated in his head over and over: If he let Gia slip through his fingers, he’d probably wind up with a new wife every five or ten years, each one much like Samantha.
The thought sickened him.
But he couldn’t control everything between them. He certainly couldn’t make her love him.
Fuck.
“When is the party?”
“Tonight at eight o’clock.” She rattled off an address, somewhere off of Mockingbird in Highland Park.
Old money. Naturally.
“I have a meeting at four thirty. If it wraps before then, I’ll be there.”
“Lovely. Don’t disappoint me.” Samantha hung up.
Jason ended the call and shook his head.
He felt sorry for his mother because she would never know anything deeper than the joy of pretty, shiny things for sale. She’d never really feel her heart. Moreover, he didn’t want to be like her. He wanted what Gia’s parents had.
He wanted Gia.
How could he impress that upon her when he saw her this afternoon? All his usual ideas—jewelry, handbags, shoes—took him in the wrong direction. She wouldn’t care about any of that. She wouldn’t take a trip to an alley with him, much less anywhere tropical and fabulous so that he could romance her unless she wanted to be with him.
Other than her divorce settlement, she didn’t seem to care about money. In fact, now that he thought about it, her agreeing to spend eighteen days with him for the cash seemed out of character.
Unless the money wasn’t for her at all.
He pounded on the steering wheel with a sigh. Oh, hell. He’d been so stupid.
But at least he knew what to do now.
A few errands and a lot of anxious waiting later, Jason pulled up at the park, locked his car, and headed toward their meeting point. The sun shined brightly, the thermometer edging toward the seventy degree mark as the last of autumn fought against a winter that would soon encroach. A few leaves still clung to the trees. Ducks swam in the nearby pond. Kids ran and laughed across the little stone bridge near the granite bears that served as monuments in the park. He’d grown up here and always thought of this place as a little slice of heaven, a refuge in the city.
Now being here just ate at his guts.
Jason glanced at his watch. Right on time. He looked around for Gia, leaning against a little railing, hoping like hell he’d made the right decision.
As he second-guessed himself, Gia approached in a pair of faded jeans, a simple coral-hued T-shirt paired with a beige sweater, and flip-flops. What she didn’t wear was her wedding ring or a smile. Jason couldn’t stop the anxious slide of his stomach to his toes.
He didn’t want a goddamn divorce.
“Hi,” she greeted. “Thanks for meeting me here.”
He wanted to hold her. Fuck, he wanted to take her, possess her, convince her that she was his and always would be. But she put off a vibe that gave him pause. Not a fuck-off sort…but not precisely welcoming, either.
“Of course. What’s on your mind?”
She drew in a not-quite-steady breath—a hint that she was nervous, too. “I’ve given everything that happened recently a lot of thought. I’ve made some decisions and taken some action.”
Here it came, Gia telling him that she’d filed. He clenched his jaw, braced for the worst, and resolved to at least listen before he spoke. Then he intended to fight like hell. She might not see it yet, but they were right for one another.
“We made an agreement before I came back to you. I am determined to keep up my end of things, so I’ll return for the next eight days if you want.”
“Because you want the money from the divorce settlement?”
“Yes.”
“So…you haven’t filed yet?”
“No.”
Thank God for that. “Then what? You plan to hire an attorney and just…go on with your life as if this never happened?”
“No,” she said softly. Her expression broke, and he watched her fight tears.
It took everything inside Jason not to intervene and comfort her, to reach out and try to make everything okay.
“Then what?” He frowned at her, not understanding. “Explain.”
“I won’t be the one to file. I can’t stop you if that’s what you want, but…” She shook her head, tears gathering. “I’ll never make the first move to end our marriage. I tried for a year to go on as if we never happened. I already know it’s not possible.”
His chest seized up. Breathing stopped. His heart thundered furiously. “Are you saying you don’t want a divorce?”
“No.” She emphasized her answer with a shake of her head. “I’ve given this a lot of thought. You’ve been trying to show me affection in the way you know how, with gifts. It’s not an insult, and I have to stop being too proud to see that.”
Gia had been thinking.
Relief poured through him. “I never once tried to hurt or offend you.”
“And you’ve gone out of your way to help me. Trying to have Wayman arrested is a good example. I might not like your methods, but you meant to keep me safe and eradicate him from my life all at once.”
“Two birds, one stone. I’ve been telling you my motives for a while.”
“You have, and I…” She shook her head and curled her fingers together nervously. “I can’t hate you for that.”
“Protecting what’s mine is in my nature. I know you don’t like my methods—”
“But your intentions are in the right place, I know. Sometimes, I lose my temper and I get emotional. When I look back later, I see clearly that I overreacted. I’ve gotten pretty good at eating crow over the years. I wish you had told me that you intended to deal with Wayman, but I know you didn’t mean to take away my opportunity for justice.”
“I didn’t.”
“After I calmed down, I realized that I took my frustration out on you. I’m sorry.”
“You always want to right the wrongs. I respect that about you. I’m sorry if I stepped on your toes. I might be a bit too accustomed to calling shots and making decisions.”
“I’ve heard enough of your business conversations to figure that out. I just had to calm down enough to realize you didn’t do this to hurt me.”
“Never.”
“And I wanted to be really mad at you for forcing me to introduce you to my parents.” She gave him a wry, if reluctant smile. “As hard as it is to admit it, you were right. They really love you.”
A bright spot in this mess. “I’m pretty fond of them, too. Your niece and nephew are adorable and clearly idolize you.”
“They are a handful. I’ve loved every minute I’ve been with them.” She sighed. “But we’re not here to talk about the kids.”
“No,” he agreed. “You don’t want a divorce. What do you want?”
“What do you want? When you left last night—”