Egotistically Yours by Hayley Faiman

Chapter Thirty-Seven

BETHANIE

Once Tucker is fed,and in Tenny’s arms, we leave and head to the restaurant. We don’t say anything and I chew on the inside of my cheek, my anxiety climbing through the roof. Laurent pulls up to a nice restaurant and the valet asks to park our car.

I’m not even excited about being treated to somewhere that has valet parking. I’m far too focused on what Laurent is going to talk to me about. What he talked to his father about, and why he seems so extremely excited and happy.

We are seated almost immediately, and I should be looking around the restaurant as we’re guided throughout the main room and toward the back. I don’t. Instead, I look down at my shoes the entire time, my heart racing with what’s about to happen, what he’s going to say, and what all of this will mean for me.

I’m not sure why, but I feel this impending doom as if something major is about to explode right in front of me and I won’t be able to stop it, won’t be able to control it, won’t be able to breathe through it.

“Just tell me,” I snap as soon as the hostess walks away from the table.

“Bethie?” Laurent asks, his voice calm and cool.

Shaking my head, I let out a low groan. “I’m dying, Laurent. I’ve been stressed out trying to think of whatever the hell you’re going to say to me. I’m sitting here coming up with scenarios in my head and I’m freaked out.”

He chuckles, reaching across the table and takes my hands in his. The waiter appears right when he opens his mouth to speak and for the first time in my life, I want to yell at waitstaff. I don’t. I order a water, as politely as possible. Laurent orders a water, as well as a bottle of red wine.

When he walks away, promising to return shortly, I level Laurent with a gaze. He smiles, then dips his chin slightly before he begins to speak again.

“I’ve been given an opportunity by my father,” he begins.

I can’t help it, I have to interrupt. “Are you coming back?” I ask.

I’m suddenly filled with giddy excitement that we may be able to work together soon, again. Not that I would see him much, just in passing as he walked past my desk, but I would take it.

He shakes his head slowly, though his gaze doesn’t leave mine. “Not quite.”

“Then what?”

My heart starts to race with panic and worry. I don’t know what is happening, what he’s trying to tell me. It’s something though, something big, I can tell by the way he’s watching me.

He clears his throat. “My father wants to expand LoneSTAR Investments into a different market, into a different state.”

“Laurent,” I breathe. I hope that I know what this means, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions, so I just hold my breath and wait.

He smirks across the table at me. “He wants to expand into Colorado, Denver to be exact, and he wants me to run that whole division.”

I gasp, pulling one of my hands from his and placing it over my mouth as it hangs open in shock. “What does this mean?” I ask.

It’s exactly what I thought it was, but I need to hear the words come out of his mouth. I need to know exactly what this means for him and for us.

He laughs. “It means I sell the building. My mother signed it all over to me, it’s mine anyway. We buy a house in Colorado, anywhere near Denver, wherever you like, and we move.”

“What?” I exhale.

Then, he does something else. He does something that causes my heart to jump into my throat. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small square box.

A velvet box—a ring box.

“It’s not an engagement ring,” he announces almost a little too loudly. “But it is a symbol to show you that I am completely and totally devoted to you. I am in love with you and I am committed to you and our family. I want your name on everything that I own. It’s ours, not mine. Because you own me, Bethie.”

He slides the small velvet box across the table, his eyes never leaving mine, and then he opens that box and my gaze flicks down to it, but then it doesn’t move again. I’m frozen, staring at the ring that’s nestled neatly, perfectly, inside of the cushioned velvet.

It’s a pear-shaped green gemstone surrounded by diamonds in a rose gold setting. I can’t even attempt to reach out and touch it, I can’t do anything but stare at it in complete shock. It’s the biggest ring I’ve ever seen, the most beautiful too.

“My birthstone is peridot, but I don’t care for that shade of green too much, so this is a green tourmaline. I thought the color was much prettier. I know it’s probably egotistical of me to give you something that represents myself, but I thought it would be a good way to symbolize me giving you myself.”

Tears fill my eyes at his explanation. I don’t care if it’s egotistical, because that’s who Laurent Astor has always been. I don’t expect him to change and I don’t want him to either. He is perfectly him in every way.

“I love it,” I whisper. He picks it up and I lift my hand.

I press my lips together as he slides the ring on my wedding ring finger. It’s not a promise of marriage, but this symbol isn’t just for us. I’m not stupid. I know without a doubt that this is also a symbol for the rest of the world, to show that I am taken. That’s okay with me, because I am—proudly.

When the ring is on my finger, I tip my chin down and look at it. It’s huge. It takes up the complete space from knuckle to knuckle. It’s massive and gorgeous all at the same time. I’m almost afraid to wear it, but I’m far too proud to ever tell him that. I’ll wear it every single day until the day that I die.

“You’ll move to Denver?” he asks.

Lifting my head, I suck in a breath. Visions of my parents fly through my head. The thought of leaving them causes my chest to ache, but the thought of not having Laurent causes my entire body to practically shut down immediately.

“I’m moving.”

Laurent’s lips curve up. “I don’t need an answer right this second. I’m asking you to think about it. It’s a big move. We won’t know anyone, and I understand you being hesitant.”

“I’m not,” I state. “There is only one thing that I need in life. And that’s you. My parents can come and visit. We can come and visit Landry and your family here. But I can’t live away from you, Tucker can’t be away from you.”

Laurent’s eyes connect to mine and his lips curve up into a grin. “Okay, baby. Denver it is.”

“This is going to be a huge change,” I point out.

“But it will be amazing and worth it. I think that this will be exactly what we need.”

I don’t know if this is what we need. I truly enjoy my job and my life, but I know that Laurent has had problems with his mother and Astor Investments since trying to take over so I know that this is what he needs and anything that will make him happier, will make us happier too.

LAURENT

We eat.

Throughout dinner, we discuss moving to Denver, what that will mean job-wise, and we discuss the fact that Bethie can be a stay-at-home mother if she wishes.

I can tell that she is still a bit hesitant about that, but until we figure out the area, and get to know people. Until we find a day care center and all of the things that go along with having a family, I think that it’s what should happen.

The ring catches the light through dinner, then when I slip my hand into hers on the way home, I feel it against my skin and I know that this was the right decision. I know that she’ll always want more. She’ll always want that piece of paper, but I also know that Bethie will never demand it either.

Once we’re in front of my dad’s place, I turn to her. “Bethie?”

She flicks her gaze over to me and watches me for a moment. Then she nods her head as if to tell me to continue.

“I’m asking for a hell of a lot from you.”

“You are,” she agrees with a smile. “But I’m not going to stay here while you live there. My home is with you, Laurent.”

Matching her smile, I lift my hand and cup her cheek with my palm. My eyes search hers and I let out a rumble before I lean in and touch my lips to hers.

“I love you, Bethie,” I rasp against her lips.

“I love you,” she replies.

Sliding my tongue along the seam of her lips, I taste her before I lean back slightly and look into her eyes. I’m asking a lot of her. A hell of a lot, but we’re a team, too. This life isn’t hers, it isn’t mine—it’s ours.

Wordlessly, I turn and open the car door, then I slip out and jog over to Bethie’s side and help her out. Hand in hand, my thumb sliding across the back of the ring that I just placed on her finger, we walk up to my father’s house.

Knocking on the door, I’m careful not to be too loud. I know that Holden is probably already asleep and that, no doubt, Tucker and Hanna are close as well. My dad answers the door, Tucker in his arms sleeping peacefully.

“You’re back,” he says quietly before he steps to the side.

A few moments later, we’re gathered in the living room and my father is watching me silently, yet expectantly. He looks between me and Bethie, then back to me and arches a brow, waiting for me to tell him the result. Will I be running the Denver office or not? Will we move away? What is going to happen?

“We’re moving to Denver,” I announce.

There is a moment of silence. Tennessee’s eyes widen and her lips part in awe, it’s obvious that she didn’t know about this plan of my dad’s. Clearing my throat, I sit back and wonder what to say next. Bethie leans forward and she looks directly at Tennessee.

“I’m so scared, but I think this is going to be awesome.”

Tennessee looks from her to my dad, then back to her. I can see the worry etched on her face, but she doesn’t voice that. But after the worry fades, sadness creeps in.

“Seriously?” Tenny asks.

Bethie nods her head, but her teeth sink into the corner of her bottom lip as worry crosses over her face. I watch it appear, then she shakes it off or at least attempts to. Tennessee shakes her head once, then sits forward, but it’s Bethie who speaks first.

“This is huge. It’s big for Laurent and I know that he’ll be so happy working for LoneSTAR. I’m going to miss everyone, but I think that this is the right thing to do,” she says.

I swell with pride. Even though it’s clear that Bethie is scared of what’s to come, she’s brave enough to give it all a try, and I’m proud of her for that.

“Come on over tomorrow night after work. We’ll figure out all of the logistics,” my dad announces.

“Will do,” I rumble.

A few minutes later, we’ve hugged Tenny and my dad, gathered Tucker and we’re on our way home. Bethie is quiet, no doubt contemplating what is coming and the conversation she’s going to have to have with her own parents.

I feel guilty about that, about taking her and Tucker away from everyone they know. But I also know that we’re not the first people in the world to move for a career and this opportunity is what we need. It’s what I need, but it’s really what we need too.

Astor Investment is tanking, hard and fast. There is no saving it at this point and as much as I wish that I could, I don’t think I could save it.

That company is nothing but a sinking ship.