I turned away from him as I tried to calm my racing heart. Slowly turning back around, I looked directly in his eyes. “I have a job. I have a career I actually like, and you want me to just walk away from it and help Adaline start her own business?”
Swallowing hard, Malcolm pushed his hand through his hair and cursed. “Shit. Paislie I’m not asking you to walk away from anything. I thought this might be something that you would be excited about and want to be a part of.”
I didn’t know how I should be feeling. The excitement from the engagement had worn off and now I was being faced with a future I wasn’t the least bit prepared for.
“I’d like to go home, please.” I quickly turned and headed back toward the cottage and Malcolm’s truck. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop.
“Are you mad?”
Giving him a blank stare, I tried to figure out what to say. “I’m not mad . . . well hell I don’t know, maybe I am. How did you know I would be okay with this?” Glancing back to the house, I looked at it. It was huge and we would probably go for days without even seeing Emmit and Adaline.
“The house is big, but did you even stop to consider that maybe Adaline and I wouldn’t care for each other? That maybe I didn’t want to go into a business with her? I originally wanted to do this with my best friend and to have something else forced down my throat doesn’t sit well with me. You didn’t even talk to me about any of this, Malcolm!”
“I’m not forcing anything down your throat.”
My hands went to my hips. “Really? Oh hey, Paislie, I bought a house with someone else and we’re going to all own it even though you’re just now getting to know the couple. By the way, they will live upstairs from us and we’ll share everything, the pool, the hot tub, the tennis courts. Oh yeah and we are now going to be in the wine grape business.” I rolled my eyes. “Do you even know anything about wine grapes, Malcolm?”
He went to talk, but I kept going.
“Let’s not forget to mention that you’re also going to own racecars with the same man you couldn’t even stand a few years ago. What if you disagree on something and none of this works out? You bought a damn house with him! You’ll be traveling to races, and what about North Carolina? You sold your house there, but now you’re talking about owning a team. Call me stupid, but aren’t all the teams located there?”
Again he opened his mouth to talk, but I stopped him. “I think it’s wonderful Adaline found something she’s passionate about, but to expect me to just jump right on into someone else’s dreams seems rather selfish on your part.”
“I guess I didn’t think about it like that.”
“No, you didn’t. I need to be alone for a bit to get my thoughts together. Please, will you take me home?”
Sophie came running out, calling my name. When I turned to look over my shoulder, Emmit, Adaline, and Autumn were all standing on the porch.
Shit. How much of that did they all just hear?
“Here’s your water,” Sophie said as she forced it into my hand. Lifting it up to my lips, I took a drink and handed it back to her. Adaline was looking at me like she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what she should say.
“Congratulations on the engagement!” Autumn called out as she bolted down the stairs and pulled me into her arms.
“I’ve never seen Malcolm as happy as he has been with you,” she whispered into my ear. When Adaline and Emmit stood before me, Adaline gave me a sympathetic smile. “It took a little while for me to get used to the idea as well. Would you like to tour the whole house so you can see how the two separate living areas are laid out?”
Oh. My. God. I’m the last person to even see the whole house.
I shook my head and barely said, “Not right now. I really need to get back to the house. I’m not feeling well.”
With that I turned away from everyone and forced myself not to run but to walk.
By the time I got to the truck, I jumped in and tried to get my breathing under control. It felt as if I was having a panic attack.
Malcolm got in the truck and silently we drove back to his house. Not saying a word, I made my way to the guest bedroom I had stayed in a few months back. Malcolm didn’t even follow me.
Shutting the door, I leaned against it and slid to the ground as I dropped my forehead onto my knees and cried.
The different emotions running through my mind were confusing. The idea of being married to Malcolm thrilled me, yet at the same time I knew my life would be so different. Mansions, vineyards, assistants, cooks, and whatever else Malcolm decided to throw into the mix. The one thing I would not allow him to do to me is let me lose my independence or my voice. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there on the floor before I finally got up and hit Elizabeth’s number.
After she answered, I launched into a full on explanation of everything that just happened.
“So, what exactly are you confused about, Paislie?”
My eyes widened in shock. “Elizabeth, he planned all of this without talking to me!”