The Billionaire's Marriage Contract(71)

Amy laughed. “Am I that much of a basket case?”

“No, you’re my sister,” Callie said. “Now go save the day.”

Amy didn’t usually need a pep talk, but she was glad her sister had known to give her one. She got out of the town car with a new sense of purpose. She was Amy Haven, successful businesswoman. She would fix whatever this scandal was, quickly and professionally, and then she’d head home to wait for the next crisis only she could handle. It was time to move on. Even if it meant saving herself, she’d figure out a way to move forward.

***

Amy should have realized something was amiss when the door to a twenty-five million dollar mansion was wide open. Instead, it took her exactly three steps inside to realize what had happened. Her heart jumped as she looked at the man standing before her.

“I’ve been set up,” Amy said. She was standing face to face with Ethan.

He held his hand up in front of Amy’s mouth. “Before you say anything else, I have something I need to tell you.”

Amy shifted back from him and folded her arms. “If you’re trying to apologize, you’re a bit late.”

“I’m not. I just needed to tell you something.” Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a tattered piece of cloth. He looked down at it and asked, “Did you sign the papers?” As he waited for Amy’s response, he worked the napkin through his hands again and again.

“No. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

“Well, you upheld your end of the bargain, and I’m still trying to uphold mine.”

“This is your idea of upholding your end of the deal? Having Hank call me and tell me there was an emergency? Another lie?”

“It’s no lie. This is an emergency. I’m trying to fulfill our original deal.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ethan. I already told you that I can’t make myself sign the divorce papers.”

“I’m not talking about that contract. I’m talking about one much older than that. I’m talking about the deal we made that night in Chicago.” Ethan held out the napkin. “I need you to take this back.”

“What do you mean, take this back?” Amy pushed the napkin away. “This thing looks like it’s been folded up in your pocket for a year.”

“It’s been much longer than a year. That night in Chicago, after all of that wine and the hours of conversation, you kissed me. You grabbed my shirt and pulled me in tight and kissed me. That moment changed me forever. One kiss was all it took. For years, I thought you had remembered it. But then, when I asked you to marry me, it was clear that you didn’t remember it at all.”

“No.” Amy didn’t know what to say.

“I know I’ll never forget it. After we kissed, you took a pen and a napkin, and you wrote me a note. You said it was a contract between us. ‘Some things, you can’t buy. You have to earn them.’ That’s what it says.” He handed it over to Amy. “I’ve carried two things in my pocket every day since that night. This note is one of them.”

The napkin was soft and frayed, and the ink of the message had faded over time, but Amy recognized her handwriting right away. Her memory jolted back to the note Ethan had left next to her, the note she had read and thrown out in the morning. “I’ll do whatever it takes.” She looked at Ethan, finally realizing why he had left her the note in the first place. “Why give this to me now?”

“I can’t hold onto it any longer. Amy, I love you. I think I’ve loved you since the day we met, and I know I’ve loved you since that night in Chicago. And I was willing to earn your love. I was willing to wait and plan and to do whatever it took, but I can’t wait any longer. I wanted any excuse to be with you, and the business deal, and the marriage, it seemed like my only chance. In Jackson Hole, I asked Hank to give me enough time to let you admit to yourself that you were in love with me, too. After what he had seen that weekend, he agreed. I should have told you the truth. I’ve never been in a relationship like this before. No one has ever meant as much to me as you do, and I was just too afraid of losing you. I love you, Amy. I’m done trying to hide it.”#p#分页标题#e#

“I love you, too.” Amy crossed her arms and scowled at Ethan. She knew how much he liked to see her mad like this. “But I’m not just some prize. I can’t just be your wife or your girlfriend. That’s not enough, Ethan. You have to truly listen to me. It’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along.” She looked back down at the note, “Why the hell didn’t you tell me any of this before?”