The Billionaire's Marriage Contract(60)

Then Amy saw it. In the corner of one of the picture, there was a hazy object right in the foreground, too close to be in focus. Amy recognized it at once: a beer tap. Whoever took the photos had taken them from behind the bar, and, as far as Amy knew, only one person besides Logan had been behind the bar that night.

Amy had a pretty good idea of who had leaked the photos, and she was going to rip his head off if she could find him. Attempting to seduce her was one thing, but photographing it and using it to ruin her life was another.#p#分页标题#e#

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As Amy made her way across town to Logan’s loft, she called Ethan to check in. When he picked up the phone, Amy could hear Vi laughing in the background. She couldn’t help but ask, “How’s the patient doing?”

“Vi? She’s doing splendidly. She’s telling me all about her sordid past. Did you know she’s an ordained minister?”

“You’re kidding, right? Besides, that doesn’t sound very sordid.”

“I haven’t told you the rest of the story. Apparently she was once engaged the French Ambassador to the United States. Either that or she was engaged to someone else and then had an affair with the Ambassador; somehow in the middle of all of this, she was ordained. You can’t make this stuff up.”

In the background, Amy could hear Vi shout, “It was the seventies!” It was good to hear Vi enjoying herself. Ethan was good with her. Most men, no matter what age, weren’t sure what to think of her. But he just went with the flow, which endeared him to her, and, in turn, made Amy think that much more of him. Listening to the two of them getting along put a smile on her face.

“She never ceases to amaze,” Amy said.

“On your way back, you should pick up a tape recorder so we can get all of her stories down.”

“You know? I might do just that.”

“Well, the second course is about ready to come out of the oven.”

“So this is a lunch date?”

“One with three courses. I’ve got to go. Try and stay out of trouble.”

“Hey, I think that’s what I’m supposed to say to you.”

“I’m with your aunt. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Have you met her? The possibilities are endless,” Amy laughed.

“See you soon?” Ethan’s voice had gotten softer as he posed the question. Something about his tone made Amy want to jump back on a plane and fly home to him. If he could only see the photos she was looking at, he’d be furious. She had to figure out a way to explain all of this to him. She had to find a way to make things right.

“Of course.” She paused for a second as she wondered what to say to end the call. Finally she said, “I miss you. Bye,” and hung up the phone.

What the hell is wrong with me? Amy thought. She missed Ethan more than she had known was possible. Her chest hurt just thinking of how much she wanted to be back with him. But when she told him as much, she wasn’t telling the whole truth. As she had waited to hang up, she had only wanted to say three little words: I love you. Instead, she had decided it could wait. She had created enough of a mess already. After all, what difference would a few hours make? She resolved to tell him in person, as soon as she got home. She would explain the photos and tell him that he meant everything to her. But first, she needed to deal with Logan one last time.





Chapter 21

After getting off the phone with Amy, Ethan stepped back into his kitchen and turned his attention back to her aunt. He bit his lower lip and mustered the nerve to ask the question he had been waiting all afternoon to ask. “Vi, can you keep a secret?”

“Only if it’s an interesting one.”

“I lied to Amy.”

“What kind of lie?”

“When I asked her to marry me, I told her it was so I could seal a business deal.”

“And here I was thinking you wanted to seal a different kind of deal with my niece.”

“Yes. No. I mean I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but I’ve been in love with Amy for a long time, so when I had a chance to finalize the business deal, the only thing I could think of was that it would mean losing her, and I couldn’t let that happen.”

“So are you saying you sabotaged the deal?” Vi pushed back in her seat and crossed her arms.

“I delayed it.”

“And now you want to go through with the deal and stay together with Amy?”

“I want to tell her the truth. I’m tired of playing coy and pretending I’m anything but head over heels for her.”

“So what’s the problem? Go after her. She’s an adult. She can handle the truth, especially when the truth is that a handsome, rich man is in love with her. Tell her how you feel. I’m sure she’ll survive the shock.”