“Yes. That’s what I mean. I’m not going to accept charity from him, you know.”
“It’s not charity!” She seldom raised her voice, so she had no idea why she was now. “That hotel is his baby. He would never hire anyone unless they were the best. He’s not going to give you a job just because you’re my husband.”
“Even so.”
“Even so what? I thought you’d be happy. I was trying to help.”
“I’ve told you over and over again that I don’t want that kind of help. Anything I do, I want to earn on my own.”
“I thought you meant from your family. You mean you don’t want anyone’s help?”
“Not like that. I don’t want to be given anything.”
He was the most infuriating man she’d ever known. She couldn’t believe he was being so stupidly proud and stubborn. “Talk about unreasonable,” she bit out. “That’s the most unreasonable thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m not expecting you to understand.”
She was getting distracted from her anger because she was so confused and worried about this hang-up of Peter’s. But his words brought her back suddenly to the issue at hand. “Okay. Okay. I don’t understand your reasons. Then you better accept that you don’t understand my reasons for not wanting a honeymoon. If you can be unreasonable about that, then I can be unreasonable about this.”
Peter stared at her for a long moment, and she had no idea what was going on inside him. He looked deep and conflicted and angry and strangely helpless. Then he seemed to shake it all aside. “It’s too late. Your sister is already planning to have your grandmother stay with them for the weekend. If you make a fuss about it, they’re going to suspect that something is strange about our marriage. A normal wife would want to go on a honeymoon, if it was possible.”
He had her trapped. Absolutely trapped. If she was going to go through with this ruse, then she would have to go on the honeymoon. And, since she’d gotten Peter into this, she couldn’t mess it up for him now.
She bit her lip and looked away from him, too upset to even speak.
He put the car into drive and started back to the house without another word.
There was no reason for Kelly to be so emotional. In the long run, it didn’t really matter.
But she’d always believed that Peter really respected her. She couldn’t believe he would just walk all over her that way.
And she couldn’t believe he would shrug off her attempts to help him in his career—as if the fact that she cared about him meant nothing.
She stared out the window and tried to keep control of her feelings, telling herself over and over again that this wasn’t as big a deal as she was making it.
When they got home, Peter put the car into park and turned in his seat to face her. “Kelly,” he began, slightly hoarse.
She didn’t want to hear it. She scrambled out of the car and hurried up to the side door that was closest to where they parked.
Peter was right behind her, and he caught her in the hallway. He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him.
She tried to pull away, but it didn’t work. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but he had her trapped against the wall, one hand planted on the wall beside her shoulder and his body preventing her from moving.
“Let go of me,” she gasped, squirming slightly. She was still angry, but she was more than that now. Her mind was spinning like crazy, bombarded with intense sensations from his body so close to her, the strangely passionate look in his eyes. “Grandmama’s home. She can’t see us fighting.”
“I don’t care if she’s home.” He spoke in a guttural tone that sent shivers down her spine. “You’re my wife, and we need to talk.”
“We already talked. You know how I feel. I’ll go on this honeymoon because you trapped me into it, but I’m never going to be okay with you bulldozing over me, as if my will means nothing. I can’t believe you’re one of those men.”
He grew very still, the expression on his face changing almost imperceptibly. “You really think I’m one of those men?”
“I never did before.” Her voice cracked, and she had to clear her throat to continue. She was shaking all over. She was never this way. She had no idea what was happening to her. “But you just…you just…”
“I really thought you’d like to go, but were worried about the logistics. I didn’t realize you actually didn’t want to go on a trip with me.”
His voice was even, but there was an underlying edge that made her wonder if she’d hurt his feelings. That idea upset her even more. “It’s not that. It’s not about that.”