Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Adalyn
I walked into my apartment, set my purse down, poured a glass of wine, and took a seat on the couch. Harrison loved his townhouse, but I knew damn well he didn’t like that bedroom furniture he picked out. I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. Just as I finished my wine, there was a knock at the door. Looking out the peephole, I saw Harrison standing there.
“Harrison? What are you doing here?”
“Go put on something fancy. I’m taking you to dinner.”
“What?” I laughed.
“I’m taking you to dinner. We’re celebrating the completion of the townhouse.”
“Can you give me ten minutes?”
“I’ll give you five.” He winked.
This was unexpected, and it made me happy. I went into the bathroom, freshened my makeup, brushed through my hair, and slipped into one of my black dresses with a pair of black heels.
“I’m ready.” I smiled.
“You look great.” He placed his hand on the small of my back as we walked out the door.
He took me to Le Bernardin and ordered a bottle of their finest champagne.
“When are you planning on moving in?” I asked.
“Within a couple of days. I have movers coming to pack up the rest of my things at the penthouse tomorrow.”
He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out an envelope and handed it to me.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“The remaining portion of your fee.”
“Thank you, Mr. Grant.”
“Open it.”
I slid my finger across the top, took a peek inside, and then looked up at him.
“Harrison, this is for fifty thousand dollars more.”
“I know. Consider it a bonus. Your work is excellent. You did the entire house yourself. You worked hard, and I felt you deserved a little more.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“Thank you.” I blushed.
“You should be proud of yourself, Adalyn. I hate the bedroom furniture, by the way.”
“I knew you would.” I smiled. “The set I picked for you is on file at the store. Tell Jeremy to call and have the furniture swapped out.”
“Do you think you could do that one last thing for me?” he politely asked.
“Of course.” I smiled.
We mostly talked about the townhouse during dinner, and then he drove me back to my apartment.
“Would you like to come up for a drink?” I asked.
“Sure.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
It didn’t take long for our lips to lock, and before I knew it, we were in my bed making love. Once we finished, I grabbed his hand as he slipped on his shirt.
“Stay the night.”
“I can’t, Adalyn.”
“You can’t or you won’t?”
“I have to be up early for a meeting.”
“Even if you didn’t have a meeting, you wouldn’t stay.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed and softly stroked my hair.
“Listen. I can’t give you what you want. I’m not that guy. I’m sorry. You deserve a man so much better than me. A man who wouldn’t hesitate to give you everything you deserve in life.” He kissed my forehead and got up from the bed.
Tears sprung to my eyes.
“So that’s it?” I shouted.
“It was only casual sex, and you knew that from the start,” he spoke with a slight turn of his head.
“No. It was more, and you know it.” I threw a pillow at him as tears fell from my eyes.
“I can’t help who I am, Adalyn.”
“I found that ring for a reason! It wasn’t just to give it back to your grandmother. It was to find you! You Harrison. We were destined to meet. I’m still trying to figure out why you. Why this cold-hearted, unemotional, and selfish man. But I know it’s a facade. This isn’t the real you.”
“This is the real me!” he shouted.
“No. No, it’s not. Athena told me about the day of your mother’s accident and the last words you said to her. You’ve been punishing yourself all these years. The real you is hiding somewhere inside.”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” He grabbed his wallet from the dresser, shoved it in his back pocket, and walked out of the bedroom.
I jumped up from the bed and ran after him.
“Then tell me!”
He quickly turned around and pointed his finger at me.
“Maybe for you it was more, and I’m sorry. But for me, it was only sex. I’m not in love with you, Adalyn, and you mean absolutely nothing to me. The best thing you can do is go back to Seattle.”
I stood there in shock as he opened the door and walked out.