Four Week Fiance 2(61)

"I'm falling." I said.

"I'll catch you." He said.

"I'm tired." I said.

"I'll hold you." He said.

"I'm crying." I said.

"I'll wipe away your tears." He said.

"Love me." I said.

"Idontknowhattosay." He said.

"Just love me." I said.

"It'snotthateasy." He said.

"It is ." I said.

"It isn’t." He said.

“My heart is made of glass and you have just cracked it.” I said melodramatically and hit him in the arm hard. “I hate you for making me feel this way. I hate you.” He just stared at me for about five minutes and then his expression changed and he started laughing. “Oh Mila, I’m a fool.” He said as he stopped laughing.

“Why are you a fool?”

“I never wanted to fall in love with you. I never wanted to feel this way.” He sighed. “I don’t even know why I’m admitting this now.”

“What are you admitting?” I asked hopefully, my breathe in my throat waiting patiently.

“I love you, Mila Brookstone. I don’t know how or why, or what’s going to happen, but I know as sure as there are tears in your eyes that I love you and I don’t want to hurt you anymore. I couldn’t bare to hurt you.”

“You really love me?” I said slowly, not believing what I was hearing.

“I think it’s been obvious.” He sighed. “I’ve just been scared to say the words. I’ve been scared to say it outloud because then that makes it real. And once it’s real, it means it’s in the universe. It’s out there. I belong to you and you belong to me and we’re in love. We’re soulmates and that scares the shit out of me.”

“It doesn’t have too.” I said softly and he just reached over and held my hands.

“After yesterday, talking to you about my mom, it made me realize so many things. It made me realize that a lot of my hurt and fear comes from my mom and dad’s relationship. It was mentally abusive to her, emotionally abusive and she didn’t know how to cope. I think she most probably suffered from depression as well.” He sighed. “And my dad did nothing to help. I hate him for the man that he is, but I also realized this morning when you left me in the bed, I didn’t want to be him. And I didn’t want to be the man hiding away from my feelings because I was scared. I love you, Mila. I love you like I’ve never loved anymore before in my life. We were destined to be together. I feel that in my soul. My very soul. Do you know that? Do you know how much you mean to me? How much you’ve always meant to me? It’s scary.” He said, his eyes blazing into mine.

“If I mean half of much as to you as you mean to me, then yes, I know.” I said smiling at him.

“Look, there’s something I need to tell you.” His face changed to one of anguish and my heart froze.

“What is it, TJ?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this.” He sighed and I could see that he was worried. “It might change everything and I understand that it does, but I can’t not tell you.”

“You’re scaring me, TJ. Please just tell me.”

“So, all the calls I’ve been getting and this whole engagement, well, it’s not what you think.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked confused.

“Our engagement, it wasn’t about me or impressing the board or any of that.” He took a deep breath. “It’s about your family company. It’s in trouble. Real trouble. Your parents will most probably be bankrupt in the next 3-6 months. Nonno knew, has known for a while that it’s not doing well. They haven’t listened it any of his advice, so he came to me.” He took a deep breath. “He wanted me to help him make sure that his company, his investment and legacy to you didn’t go down the drain.”

“What are you talking about, TJ? How could it go down the drain? How could you help?”

“You have 51% shares in the company. You can make all the decisions.”

“But that’s just in name.” I shook my head, still confused. “I haven’t done anything.”

“When we got engaged, you gave me power of attorney. I’m able to control the company.” He gazed into my eyes. “Today I’m going to sign a contract that allows my father to purchase your family company for ten million dollars. This is what Nonno wanted. This is what he wanted me to do. And he didn’t want anyone to know. He knows your parents wouldn’t do it. He knows that my dad might tear apart the company, but he doesn’t care. He wants to make sure you’re taken care of, Mila. He loves you with all his heart and well, he can’t live knowing that you might be left with nothing.”

“What? What are you talking about? You’re signing my family company away to your dad?” My jaw dropped. “You used me?”

“I didn’t want to do it. I haven’t even done it yet. It’s been killing me, Mila. I’ve been going back and forth on what to do. I feel like I’m betraying you every time I even think about the contract. I hate myself. I’m only doing it because I made a promise to Nonno. He begged me to help him with this. He said if I cared about you at all, I would do it because it was for your best interests.” He sighed. “I agreed before I fully understand what it would be like to have to deceive you.”