Chapter 107
A dam came in so late last night that I barely woke up before drifting back to sleep.
It was more than an hour, that’s for sure.
The guy I met at the cottage wasn’t Adam Harris.
I fell for “Vacation Adam,” a guy who didn’t have a care in the world outside of making me come.
Now, I’m sort of engaged to another guy.
“Venture Capitalist Adam” only cares about money and power, not me.
“I’m lonely,” I confess. My voice is barely a whisper.
He rolls over in my bed, propping his head up with his hand. We stare at each other for a moment before he finally says, “Why don’t you redecorate one of the rooms?”
Seriously?
“I said I’m lonely, not bored!” The distinction, sharp and clear, hangs heavy in the air. “I don’t feel like a priority.”
“This is what life is like with me.”
“I thought you wanted to slow it down,” I counter, the memory of his promises clashing with our reality.
“Once I have kids, yes.”
“So if I got pregnant right now, would you retire?” I challenge, seeking some semblance of priority in his life.
“I’ll always have some project going on, but my life would look a lot more like it did at the lake.”
“So a kid is more important to you than me?”
“Dani, please. Don’t pick a fight.”
“I’m not picking a fight. I’m asking very real questions about our relationship.”
“Do you want me to clear my calendar? I can do it, but know it will ruin about thirty people’s day.”
“I’m not a priority. Got it.”
“Yes, you are.”
“You left me alone at dinner last night!” Emotions escalate between us, and I blurt out, “Declan paid.” The words hang heavy with implications.
“Did you ask him to join you?” he asks through gritted teeth.
“No. He was at Cut with some guys. I didn’t notice him until the server said he paid.”
“Are you trying to make me jealous?”
I shrug.
“It’s fucking working, Dani!” he yells, getting out of bed. The tone scares me. I’ve never heard it before. “I’m Adam Harris!” he screams, and I feel like I’m staring at a stranger. “It’s pathetic that my half-my-age girlfriend doesn’t feel lucky to be with me.”
He pulls up his dress pants and throws on his shirt before walking out of my bedroom.
“Lucky?” I scoff, getting out of bed to follow him. “I’m so lucky that Adam Harris doesn’t prioritize me, leaves me in a restaurant, and thinks a bottle of perfume makes up for days of not seeing me and not meeting up with my best friend!” I yell after him.
“What should I have gotten you then?” Adam asks, leaning against the wall in my entryway.
You, your time, obviously. I roll my eyes.
“Name what I should have gotten you. I’ll buy it,” he says, crossing his arms. “You can have anything you want because of my work, because of these deals I put together.”
“You don’t have to work.” I cross my arms too. “You’ve made enough money.”
“No. You don’t have to work.”
“Oh, now you have a problem with my career too!” I scream, his ex’s warning replaying in my mind. After he takes away your career and your freedom …
“I have limited free time. You need to have more flexibility. You don’t have to be working this hard, Dani.”
“I’m never going to be a housewife.”
“I’m not asking you to be. I’m saying you’re working as many hours as I am?—”
“No, I’m not!” I cut him off.
“When you’re not with me, what are you doing? I don’t hear about you hanging out with friends. I hear about you working.”
Even Adam realizes I haven’t been keeping up with my friends. “Don’t even try to work-shame me right now.”
“This is why you should have moved in.” Adam sighs in frustration. “We could see each other every day, go to bed together, wake up together—share some moments each day, at least.”
“What a life,” I sass. Adam’s vision of togetherness is overly simplified.
“I know that’s what you want, but I am not ready for that!
” I yell, my voice cracking as tears begin to well.
“Stop trying to force me into your timeline! I am a person, not a thing. You can’t buy me. You’ll never be able to buy me!”
After saying it, tears run down my face. “I’m not another asset to be managed.” The raw, tear-filled plea leaves me. I can’t un-say it now, but it’s a truth I’ve felt for a while.
Adam shakes his head. After a silent moment, he asks, “What happened after he paid your bill?”
“We talked about sound baths,” I say, wiping my tears and deciding to leave out the fact that Declan walked me home and hit on me.
“And?”
“And?” I reply, full of sass.
“You think I don’t notice when you leave out details?”
Do I want Adam and me to work? Is The Renter ’s lease up in my life?
“He asked me how much more time I’m going to waste with you … and I don’t have an answer for that yet.”