“That’d be good.”
“I’ll ask Emmett to get it for you.”
“You do that.” I look down again at the bracelet. “It’s too much, Flynn. I’m not comfortable with being spoiled like this.”
“Give it time. You’ll get used to it.”
“No, I don’t think I will.”
“Why do I suddenly fear there’s a deeper issue afoot here?”
I take a moment to collect myself, swallowing the knot of emotion that has gathered in my throat. “You’re so incredibly generous. I’ve never known anyone who thinks of others as selflessly as you do. I don’t want you to ever think I don’t appreciate your thoughtfulness or your generosity, because I do. I appreciate it very much.”
“But?”
“But it makes me uncomfortable to be showered with things like diamonds when I can barely buy you dinner right now.” A glance at my online bank balance earlier in the day left me feeling rather ill. He mentioned me getting paid for my work on the foundation, but that hasn’t kicked in yet.
“Wow. Well, I don’t even know where to begin to reply to that. You’re my wife, Natalie, which means everything I have is now yours, too. You can buy me anything you want to. You can buy yourself anything you want or need. Tomorrow, we’re getting you access to money. I should’ve done that sooner, and I’m sorry that I didn’t think of it before now.”
“I’m not asking you to do that.”
“I know you’re not. I’m telling you that that’s what’s going to happen.”
I’m not sure I like being told. I decide to let it drop for now so we can enjoy this special evening, but the subject is far from closed.
Chapter 15
My beautiful, sweet wife is worried about money? It makes me fucking crazy to hear her say she can’t buy me dinner. She has no idea what she’s married into or the resources that are now hers—and that’s entirely my fault. Why didn’t I think of it sooner? Of course she’s worried about money. She lost her job because of me, for fuck’s sake.
I feel like I’m learning every lesson with her the hard way, and once again I’m berating myself for not anticipating her concerns. She’s gone quiet, which means she’s pissed. My Natalie is a fighter, and she doesn’t back down. Silence, where she’s concerned, is not golden.
“Nat.”
She looks at me.
“I didn’t mean to say it that way. You have to understand where I’m coming from. To have what I have and then to hear that my wife is worried about money… That sort of hits me right here.” I lay my hand on my heart.
“I’m not worried about it. I’m just out of it because I’m not getting paid anymore.”
“You’ll be getting paid soon from the foundation work, and you’re far from out of money, sweetheart. We’re married now. Your worries are my worries. If you have bills to pay or things you need to take care of, you only have to tell me and it’ll be done.”
“I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
“I’m your husband. It’s my job to take care of you.”
“This is not the Stone Age, Flynn. I’ve always been independent, and I’ve always taken care of myself. I don’t know how to be any other way.”
“I understand and respect that tremendously. It’s extremely refreshing to be with a woman who wants to earn her own way. I’ll never stand in the way of you following your dreams. What you want, I want. But you will never, ever, ever worry about money again. Are we clear on that?”
“I suppose I’ll eventually get used to my change in circumstances, but it’s not going to happen overnight. I appreciate that you want to take care of me, but you have to understand that taking care of me doesn’t mean buying me diamonds for every occasion. Put that money toward the foundation. That would make me much happier.”
“I hear what you’re saying. I really do, but you have to let me spoil you a little bit.”
“I have a feeling your idea of a little bit and mine are vastly different.”
I nuzzle her neck, focusing on all the spots that make her sigh. “We’ll find common ground. Eventually.”
“Until then, no more diamonds.”
“No more diamonds. Now, about your student loans…”
“Flynn!”
Laughing, I squeeze her tight and kiss the indignation off her lips.
“You messed up my lipstick.”
“I’ll buy you more.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“I love my wife.”
“She loves you, too, even when you’re incorrigible.”
“I have more fun with you than I’ve ever had with anyone, Nat. Even when we’re bickering. Especially then.”
“I keep waiting to discover something about you that I don’t like.”
Her words are like an arrow to my heart. God… she can’t ever know about the one part of me that she’d definitely not like or understand.
“But so far, there’s nothing not to like.”