He had no doubt she loved Gunner. He’d never gotten the impression she didn’t want to work for him, even when they butted heads.
But what if Bonnie had just spoken from the heart? What if she was too stubborn to accept someone that her parents wanted her to marry? If her parents didn’t want her to be a nanny in the first place, was Bonnie really staying with him and Gunner because it’s what she genuinely wanted? Or was she doing it because she was rebelling against what her parents wanted for her?
If that’s how Bonnie felt, then what was he doing? Was Bonnie capable of a relationship that her parents might actually approve of?
Bonnie turned and saw him, as well as her father, standing in the doorway. Immediately, her eyes widened, and a combination of determination and remorse crossed her features. She bit her bottom lip.
They needed to talk, but not here. Right now, he needed to get Bonnie out of her parents’ house. He strode forward, put a protective arm around her shoulders, and said, “It’s time we got back to the ranch.”
She nodded silently. Not a single word was spoken in the room as they left, closing the front door behind them. The man outside scrambled to get Jace’s truck and bring it around to the front.
Once he and Bonnie were inside and he’d pulled away from the house, everything started to sink in. He glanced at Bonnie and noted a drop of blood on her lip where she’d bitten it before.
He withdrew a handkerchief and handed it to her. “For your lip.”
She took it and dabbed at the small cut. “Thanks.”
They drove in silence until they reached the Clearwater city limits.
When Bonnie spoke again, her voice soft making it difficult to hear her words over the sound of the engine. “I’m sorry you went through that, Jace. I should’ve insisted you not go to the party. I should’ve refused to go myself. I knew better.”
That’s the part she was sorry for? He swallowed hard. “They never should’ve spoken to you like they did.” He paused. “But did you mean what you said back there? About not wanting to marry someone rich?” Not wanting to marry him? The fact that she didn’t respond immediately only confirmed his fear. “I’d like to hope I’ve proven I’m nothing like your parents. Mine, either.”
“Of course you’re nothing like either of them. It isn’t about you, it’s all about me. My parents are wrong about a lot of things. But maybe Mom has been right when she’s insisted that I only went from relying on them to relying on you. If we… I’d just be trading one fortune for another, Jace. That isn’t fair to you.”
He couldn’t have this conversation while driving. He pulled onto a wide shoulder and turned to look at her. “You aren’t giving yourself enough credit, Bonnie. You’ve worked hard for what you make watching Gunner. That’s all on you, that isn’t because of anything your parents are doing, or anything I’ve done.” He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled a little on the ends. “I have a lot of money, but I’m not going to apologize for that. I’ve worked hard for it. If you have an issue with that…”
Bonnie only shook her head and pressed a hand against her forehead.
“Talk to me, Bonnie.”
“Things are way too complicated, Jace.” Something about the way the light in her eyes changed had Jace’s heart clenching in pain. “I need some time to figure things out.”
“You need to figure things out about your job? Or us?” He braced himself, unsure he even wanted to know the answer.
“Maybe both.” She was looking down at her hands. Slowly, her long lashes lifted revealing eyes full of unshed tears.
Confusion mixed with anger. “I can’t go back to being just friends.” He wanted to tell her he loved her but couldn’t quite get the words out.
“Meaning what, Jace?” A single tear escaped, effectively breaking his heart.
“Meaning maybe we both need to figure things out.”
Her jaws clenched and the sadness in her eyes was quickly replaced with anger. “Can we just go home please?”
“Yep.” He put the truck in drive and got back up on the highway. The rest of the way to the ranch was silent. Jace clenched the steering wheel until his hand ached and his knuckles turned white.
When they reached the driveway in front of the house, Jace parked, prepared to walk her the rest of the way to her apartment.
She wasted no time in releasing her seatbelt and getting out of the truck. She was halfway to the walkway by the time he got out as well.
“Bonnie!”
“You’re not going to have to worry about being friends, Jace. You can expect my two-week notice on your desk Monday morning.”
With that, she disappeared from sight, leaving Jace standing in the driveway staring after her.
His head pounded, and he didn’t know whether he wanted to run after her and yell some sense into her more or kiss her until she finally admitted that they belonged together.
