Page 84 of Billionaire Grump
“Because. You live in it.”
“That’s not a reason to?—”
“Actually it is a reason to buy a building. It’s a done deal. Too late to protest.” I take the next piece of paper from the small stack she’s still holding. “This is an offer of management for your singing career, for one year, which you’ll then have the choice to continue with or not. My lawyers have looked through it and it’s a very good, very legit offer. The manager’s name is Roxie Tucker. She’s young but one of the best in the business, according to my sources, who are trustworthy. She manages her brothers’ band. You might have heard of them. They’re called the Tucker Brothers.”
“Of course I’ve heard of them. They’re huge.”
“She also manages a few solo acts, like Ruby Hayes and Sky Rose. All the artists she manages are hitting the stratosphere. Or are getting close to it. I had my people send her the links to your platforms. Apparently she’s excited about the prospect of taking you on board. She sent this offer through yesterday, only an hour or two after we contacted her.”
It takes her a few seconds to process all this, and I give her time to do that. It’s a lot. “But…how did you do all this? You had…a busy weekend.”
“I have a lot of people on speed-dial who know how to get shit done.” And I pay them a lot of money to do it.
I take the next two pieces of paper. And I hesitate for a few seconds because the next two things I’m going to show her need to be handled carefully.
“There are two new accounts here that are in your name,” I tell her. “This first one is, at least. The second one has all our names on it.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re bank accounts. With some money in them. This one’s for you, to help with the bills you’re going to be paying for your brother, for the upkeep of your new property and just…to give you a buffer.”
“A buffer.” Like she’s not sure she likes the sound of that.
“Against worrying about anything. At all. Ever again.”
She takes the piece of paper out of my hands and stares at it. Reading it. She shakes her head a little and hands it back to me. “Alexander. This is insane. I can’t accept this. Of course I can’t. You need to calm down.”
This makes me smile. “I actually feel calmer than usual.”
She eyes me. “I can’t accept this.”
“Except that you have to accept it because it’s in your name, which means I can’t touch it. It’s yours.”
An uneven laugh escapes her. “Twenty million dollars? Are you crazy?”
“To answer the second part of that question, yes and no. To answer the first: to tide you over. For now.”
At this she really does laugh. “Okay. Very funny, Maddox. You got me.”
It’s fine. I was expecting it to take a while to sink in. I hand her the next piece of paper. “This one has the same amount in it, with both our names on it. And a blank space.”
She looks up at me and goes very still. “What…blank space?”
“You know what blank space.” I say it gently. “We’ve talked about this. We spent the weekend having all kinds of incredible—and incredibly—raw dog sex. Ultimately it’s your call. But I’m also a part of this. Half, to be exact. So I’m going to do everything in my power to stop you from making any decisions out of fear, one way or the other. I want us to make the decision together, and this is me telling you that I’ve made my decision. I’m all in. Colton was right about me. I don’t say things I don’t fucking mean, and I mean this: I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of you both. I want you, Jones.” I don’t know if I realized how true it is until I say it and the words come out sounding raw. “I want you both.”
I’m tired of being lonely. I’m sick to death of living my life as a robot and an empty shell. I never knew how empty I was until this little supernova of a girl jump-started my heart and set wildfires along my bloodstream. I feel alive and so fucking happy she’s here and that I spent the weekend fucking breeding her like a goddamn caveman and now she might be knocked up with my baby, I don’t even recognize myself.
Her amber eyes are shiny and I keep talking because there’s so much I want to say to her. Which isn’t like me at all but there it is. So I keep going.
“It’s crazy and I know it’s fast. But that’s how it happened for us and I think that means something.” I take her hand, twirling her new bracelet slowly, playing her fingers. “I’m in love with you, Ivy Laine. And I know this because I’ve spent my whole life lonely as fuck. Really, really fucking lonely. Miserable in anyone’s company that has anything to do with relationships or romance or any of that bullshit. And that’s what it felt like. Just all wrong. Until you stepped through that door. I knew. I knew right that second that I wanted you. I wanted you. And it’s okay if it takes some time for us to get to know each other. We have time. We have all the time in the world. Give me a month, Jones. Move in with me and let me show you how much I want you, angel girl. Because I do. I want you.”
There are tears in her eyes as she blinks up at me. “You’re crazy, Maddox,” she whispers.
“Your fault.” I touch my finger to her chin and a tear paints a shiny line down her face. “There’s one more thing.”
“There’s more? I can’t handle more.”
I give her the last small envelope. She opens it. Inside are two first-class e-tickets and a brochure of the resort. “We found some of those huts in Tahiti. I wasn’t joking about that either.”