The Worst Best Man(114)
“May I come in?” she asked.
It felt as if a bolt of lightning struck the carpet that separated them. The room was charged with electricity. He knew by the parting of her lips, by the guarded expression on her face, that she felt it too.
It was pathetic how grateful he felt just to see her again. His heart pounded in his chest as if it knew that everything came down to the next few minutes of his life. And he wasn’t in control.
Franchesca was.
Oscar quietly shut the door, and Aiden knew it must have cost him dearly.
“Of course,” Aiden said gruffly. He wanted to cross to her, to take her in his arms and bury his face in her hair. Instead, he gestured toward one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Please. Sit.”
She sat, crossing one leg neatly over the other, and he went rigidly hard. His cock had no shame. The woman who had destroyed him, who had turned the life he’d built into an empty shell, still made him want.
He’d crawl to her if he thought for a second it would work. But Frankie didn’t want a man who crawled.
“I have a proposition for you,” she began, slipping a folder from her bag.
She handed it to him across the desk, and when their fingers brushed, he knew without a doubt this woman would never leave his system. A storm was brewing between them, and he only hoped that when it broke, he wouldn’t be alone.
“I’m listening,” he said, his voice rougher than he meant it to be. He pulled his chair back and sank into it.
If she noticed, she didn’t let on. Frankie cleared her throat. “Okay, there’s a new gap in small business services in Brooklyn. I know the neighborhoods, I know the business owners. They need guidance, mentoring. They need education. They need loans and grants.”
She was pitching him a fucking business proposal?
“I know you, Aiden. I know that all levels of entrepreneurship interest you. And it could start here,” she flipped to a page in his packet and tapped a finger on a map of her parents’ neighborhood. “Six storefronts are for sale on this block alone. The buildings themselves need some work, but they’ve got good bones. Most of the apartments are rented.”
She talked real estate and revitalization, and Aiden felt his interest pique despite his profound disappointment.
She had photos of the street, detailed maps of neighborhood parking, the real estate listings, rental unit potential, and even an itemized list of types of stores that were missing from the neighborhood.
She talked about weekend farmers markets, about block parties and restaurants with outdoor seating. She painted a pretty picture.
“You could make a difference one city block at a time. You don’t have that kind of real estate potential here in Manhattan. Not anymore. Think of the communities you could build, the small businesses you could support and watch grow. You’d need a development center. Something that could guide new businesses and help older owners take advantage of new technologies.”
“And who would manage it?” he asked.
“Me.”
Aiden’s gaze flew to her face. “You’re asking me for a job?” He didn’t know whether to be impressed or furious.
“Oh, Aide, I want you to give me a lot more than that.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
Her heart hadn’t stopped hammering against her ribs since she walked in here. Seeing him was hard. So impossibly hard. He was just as beautiful as before. But there was a wall between them. One that she had built. One that was up to her to tear down.
Frankie took a deep breath and took the plunge.
“I let you down, Aiden. And I’m having trouble forgiving myself.”
“And you think me giving you a job will make you feel better?” he asked in confusion. He didn’t even sound angry. But she had to appeal to all of him, starting with the successful entrepreneur driven to win at all costs.
“You need me, Aiden. And damn it, I need you. Not your money. Not your family connections. You.”
He was watching her intently now, and she watched him back, noticed him carefully hide the spark of hope behind those cool blue eyes.
“You’re thoughtful. You listen, really listen. You’re smart and charming and funny and surprisingly sweet. You’re so fucking generous I worry that you’re going to get hurt.”
She couldn’t catch her breath. The words were spilling faster and faster from her lips. She reached into her bag and her fingers closed around the next part of her plan.
“No one’s ever touched me the way you do. No one’s ever loved me the way you do. And I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you.” Her voice broke, and she saw his knuckles whiten as he closed his hands into fists.
With a shaky breath, she pushed herself out of her chair and walked around his desk on jelly legs. She knelt down in front of him and held up the jeweler box.
His face gave nothing away, so she popped the lid of the box revealing the simple gold band. “It was my grandfather’s,” she whispered. “It’s nothing fancy. But it’s family, loyalty, love. And I can give you all that. So marry me, Aiden. Be with me. Give me forever.”
She held her breath and blinked back the tears that were threatening to overflow her lashes.
“What about Chip and Pru?” he asked, staring at the band.
“The truth is, I had more trouble forgiving myself than I did you. I was looking for an excuse to end it, to be right, because I didn’t want to get hurt. And I ended up hurting us both. Also, Pru called me the Upper West Side version of a chicken shit, and I hate when she’s right.”