The Billionaire Next Door (Billionaire Bad Boys #2)(91)

To Rachel.

“I love her,” Tag muttered with a sad headshake. Reality came on like sobriety. With an ache after the numbness wore off.

Gena’s hand left his chest. “Does she know that?”

Tag and Lucas exchanged glances.

She didn’t. Or she never would have gone. If Tag knew one thing about Rachel, it was that she was cautious, until she wasn’t. And when she wasn’t, she threw herself in, body and soul. She’d thrown herself into him over and over. She’d flown to Hawaii with a virtual stranger, trusted him with her body when she tested the boundaries of her sexuality. She’d been the one trying not to take advantage of him by accepting his money or his help.

She’d been ready to step into him further, but now he could see the way she’d lingered on the edges, waiting for him to come around. And what did he do? He took a huge step away from her when she was the most fragile.

He flew to Hawaii instead of telling her how he felt.

Him not going with her to this wedding—especially after he’d been weird about her staying with him—had her believing he didn’t care about her. And after she’d dated a guy who didn’t give a shit about anyone but himself, was it any wonder she’d pulled the plug?

It’s better for both of us if we don’t drag this out.

She’d been protecting herself. And he’d missed the opportunity to tell her she didn’t have to.

Tag blinked at Lucas, who wore a smirk.

“Have something to say?” Tag asked.

“Yup,” Luc answered. “Do you have a tux to fit those circus-sized shoulders, or is the wedding casual?”





Chapter 26



Rachel sat on the rocker on her mother’s back porch wearing a wrap sundress. The reception was in full swing in the backyard, her cousin having been married today in a disgustingly perfect ceremony.

Outdoor weddings in Ohio were tricky, but this spring day, the blooms were lush, the wind light, and the sun unstoppable. It was too early in the season for mosquitoes. Night had fallen, nothing but the occasional moth bumping into the porch light overhead.

“Hey, hon,” her mother called, strappy sandals in hand as she navigated the walkway to her own house. The tent hovered in the background, separate bathroom trailer and all. No one had a reason to come to her parents’ house unless they were sleeping here tonight. Rachel fell into that category.

“I’m moving in,” she grumbled.

Her mother laughed as she sat next to her daughter on the wide bench seat. “No. You’re not. You belong in Chicago. You remember when you were here, bartending and working hard to fund school. Even those few months you spent in Florida were wrong for you. Chicago is your dream.”

Chicago was her dream. When she’d worked at the marketing firm with Shaun and moved in with him, she’d been as duped as her dear mother into believing the city would give her everything she wanted. Instead, she’d ended up following one doomed relationship right into the next.

When she’d arrived at her mom’s house yesterday afternoon, her dried tears had reemerged instantly. Then the dam burst and Rachel told her mom everything. About the breakup with Tag. About how she should have known better than to fall in love with a rebound. How she’d chosen Chicago’s biggest playboy, so really it was her fault and not his. How she’d taken a page from his book and tried an I’m-okay-you’re-okay breakup, only to find he was not okay and she was definitely not okay.

“I do miss you, though,” Rachel told her mom.

“I miss you, too.” Keri Foster smiled and pushed a few stray strands of hair away from Rachel’s eye. “Couples fight, honey.”

“Tag and I aren’t a couple.” She said it quickly, but the hurt didn’t dissipate—it intensified. They’d felt like a couple to her. “It’s for the best. We were a wrong fit from the start. He’s not the man for me.”

Lie, lie, lie. Just keep lying to yourself and everyone around you, Rach.

“He was so mad.” A tear trickled from her eye and she swiped it away, angry she wasn’t better at hiding her feelings.

“So fix it when you get home,” her mom said, her rose-colored glasses everlasting. “It’s fixable. You’ll see.”

“Keri.” Her father strode into the yard toward the house. “Rach. Cake is being cut.”

Her mom stood. “Come on, you look like you could use a slice of cake.”

“A slice—I could use the whole cake.”

Her mother laughed as Rachel stood. Keri wrapped her arms around her daughter and rubbed her shoulder. They walked to the tent, and Rachel made a point to pull herself together. This was supposed to be a happy occasion. Not one where she sulked and wallowed in regret over leaving the man she loved.

She’d never taken a moment to tell him that. Maybe she wasn’t as bold as she’d thought. Or maybe she was foolish to think that Tag could change. Maybe he never would. Maybe he’d be single forever.

Hell, maybe she’d be single forever.

The cake was cut, bites fed, photos taken. It was sweet, she supposed. Some less cynical part of her could appreciate her cousin’s happiness, anyway.

Rachel’s parents had skipped the cake in favor of dancing. They looked good together. Her father’s receding hairline and her mother’s smile lines bespoke of the years that had passed. Of the life they’d shared together. A pang of longing shot through Rachel so fiercely that fresh tears stung the backs of her eyes. She wanted a life shared, she realized. A future with someone else was the real reward.