The Billionaire Needs a Wife - Rachael Eliker Page 0,2
question he was trying to ask without sounding like he was on the verge of a panic attack. “I meant, what do you think about getting married?”
Luke wasn’t sure what he was expecting from Gemma—squeals of delight? outright laughing to his face? His inquiry was infused with another round of silence that already answered his question as clearly as if she’d told him outright.
“So?” he said tentatively. “What do you think?”
“I’m sorry, Luke. This is all a bit of a surprise for me.”
Luke wanted to divulge everything, hoping that maybe if she understood the constraints he was under that Gemma would take pity on him and help him out, but Grandfather had expressly prohibited him from speaking about his terms—his threat—to anyone. Luke’s hands were tied and it was making him look like a fool.
All of what was at risk aside, Luke did care deeply for Gemma. Sure, they’d been waiting but honestly, for what? There was no logical reason for them not to tie the knot and officially join their families together. It would be advantageous for everyone.
“I guess talking to my grandfather put a lot of things in perspective. Life’s short, you know? Why wait?”
“And you say your grandfather isn’t sentimental,” Gemma quipped.
Luke laughed, but he knew Gemma used humor to defuse sticky situations. He wanted an answer tonight. They’d have months before they actually had to get married, but at least her agreeing would take the pressure off of him. He could throw it right back at his grandfather that his challenge wasn’t as difficult as he’d made it seem.
“So? What do you think?”
Gemma sighed audibly. “I’ve been thinking, too.”
“Is that right?” Luke grinned. This was going to be easier than he thought. “About what?”
The longer she waited to answer, the harder his heart ricocheted against his ribs.
“Gemma?”
“I think we should break up.”
Her words carried enough power that they slammed him back against his seat. “Break up? Why?”
Gemma spoke kindly but decisively. “You’re a great guy, Luke. Really. I think maybe in another life we could’ve worked out but there’s this voice in my head that I can’t ignore that keeps telling me we’re not right together. That just means some other girl is going to be the lucky one.”
“I don’t need someone else.” Shoving a hand through his hair, Luke asked, “What can I do to convince you that we are a good match?”
“Nothing. Breaking up isn’t a hasty decision. It’s been on my mind for a while but the timing has been all wrong. I know you’ve got a lot on your plate and so do I. There wasn’t a good time to bring it up until now…”
“You’ve been thinking about breaking up for a while?”
“Look,” Gemma said softly, “I should go. I have an early morning meeting tomorrow and you should get some rest after your trip. Good night, Luke. I’ll see you around.”
Gemma didn’t wait for him to respond and hung up, leaving him alone with his darkening thoughts. How in the last twenty-four hours his future had gone from optimistic and full of potential to crashing down in fiery smithereens was beyond him. It wasn’t like this was the nineteenth century, where people followed through with betrothals in order to inherit their fortunes. This was real life and if it wasn’t for his grandfather’s stone-faced insistence that it wasn’t a joke, Luke might have laughed.
Maybe it was the sting of Gemma’s blunt breakup that was really what was bothering him. It totally blindsided him. Usually Luke was so good at reading the women he was dating. How ironic to be in a relationship that was as close to marriage as he’d ever gotten, only to end up unexpectedly back at square one with no girlfriend and no prospects.
Hearing a laugh before he realized it was his own, Luke dropped his head into his hands. Gemma was probably right. What good would a sham marriage do him, anyway? He might be able to convince her to stick it out until Grandfather died. But then what? He’d seen how divorce could ravage a family and if Gemma turned on him, he’d be signing over a chunk of his inheritance to her. Regardless of money, he was secretly sentimental and had always hoped to marry for love. Not that he said any of that out loud to any of his buddies. They weren’t exactly gushy romantics and they’d never let him hear the end of it if he admitted he was.