Chapter 16 #2
I nodded. “I started investing as soon as I got into the military just like you did. I didn’t need most of my paycheck, either. But Wyatt’s advice has been invaluable over the years. I don’t have financial worries. I’m more than capable of taking care of anything Emma and Wren need in the future.”
Yeah, I was getting more open with my Michigan team, but I had to draw the line at telling them that I had a very lucrative job as a contractor with the government.
That was something nobody knew except Emma, and I preferred to keep it that way.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the people who were the most involved in Last Hope, but the less people who knew about my work the better it was for those top-secret projects.
In my mind, I’d already tasked the men who were most involved with Last Hope to keep enough secrets. They didn’t need any more of that shit on their plates.
“I don’t think that Emma and Wren really need a lot of financial support anymore,” Brock said thoughtfully.
“They’re going to get it anyway,” I said hoarsely. “I fucking hate the fact that I have money and I wasn’t there to help support Emma and my daughter when they really could have used that support.”
“Emma’s stubborn,” Brock warned. “We wanted to help her with a few things years ago before her career really took off, and she flatly refused. She said she was perfectly capable of providing for her own daughter.”
“I know that,” I said unhappily. “She said I need to stop paying for things around the house and stop giving her things. But that’s not going to happen. She’s going to have to get used to me taking care of her and Wren.”
“Maybe she’s afraid you’re doing it out of a sense of guilt,” Brock suggested.
“I’m not,” I said in a clipped voice. “Guilt isn’t something I spend much time dwelling on. That shit will eat people alive. I’m doing it because I want to do it. I’m going to want to do the same for my daughter. That’s not something I’m going to compromise on.”
Hell, for the most part, I wasn’t a guy who compromised…period.
I was a man who gave orders and expected them to be carried out.
“You’re going to have to be open to negotiation in the future,” Brock informed me. “Emma isn’t one of the men under your command. She’ll be reasonable about letting you spend time with Wren, but you can’t just tell her what to do.”
I let out a frustrated breath. “I realize that. She’s probably the most stubborn and the most infuriating woman on the planet sometimes.”
Brock laughed. “That’s probably why she intrigues you so much. She’s incredibly kind, but she doesn’t take orders well.”
“I’ve noticed,” I rumbled. “I suppose I’m going to have to learn to compromise…a little.”
Brock smirked. “It’s really not that painful if you care about someone.
Maybe you should use a little of your own persistence and stubbornness to go after what you really want.
I might be wrong, but I suspect that you’ve missed being with Emma since the day you parted.
You just managed to put it out of your mind because being with her again was never a possibility. ”
I shook my head. “Even if that was what I wanted, I still don’t have much to offer Emma. Last Hope has been my priority for a long time. I’m not going to change much at my age.”
“I don’t know,” Brock mused. “You’ve seemed pretty damn content not thinking about Last Hope every minute of every day.
It can still be a priority for you. It just doesn’t have to consume your life all the time, Marshall.
People can change at any age. We’re actually sitting here having a personal discussion. That’s never happened before.”
“I’ve never had a personal life to talk about,” I said gruffly.
“Probably because you’ve never wanted one before,” Brock shot back. “Things have changed for you, Marshall. You’ll have a daughter to think about in the future, and you could have Emma back in your life if that’s what you really want.”
I lifted a brow. “What makes you think that Emma would want a man like me in her life?”
Brock let out a disgusted sound. “I think the answer to that question is staring you in the face. Emma looks happier than I’ve ever seen her despite her kidnapping episode. Again, I could be wrong, but I think she’s missed you since the day that you parted, too.”
“The two of us are complete opposites, Brock,” I argued.
He grinned. “I think you need her to shake up that orderly life of yours a little.”
A little?
Emma had the ability to make me completely irrational.
That wasn’t comfortable for a man like me.
The problem was, I wasn’t certain that bothered me as much as I thought it would.
In some ways Emma’s honesty and bluntness was starting to…amuse me.
Emma Lockwood’s personality was growing on me, and I was finally able to admit that I’d miss everything about her when we were forced to separate again.
It wasn’t just my dick that wanted her.
That chemistry had always been there between Emma and me.
The truth was, I wanted to be near Emma because I liked being close to her.
I was getting addicted to seeing her smile every day and her ability to just accept every fault that I had.
So much of our previous fling had been so focused on the outrageously good sex that I’d probably never noticed just how much I gravitated toward her just to be in the same room with her.
That was a pretty startling admission for a guy who had spent almost every minute of the day alone for most of his life.
“Just think about it,” Brock requested before he took another swig from his beer.
Oh, I’d think about it, whether I wanted to…or not.
I chugged the rest of my beer knowing that my thoughts had been consumed with Emma from the moment I’d found out that she was missing.
I doubted that was going to change anytime soon.