Air whizzes from my nose, falsely displaying I hate how easily he can read me, before I pay close attention to his instructions. I engage the clutch, then glide the gearstick through the gears as shown by Mikhail.
He takes it slow, his patience as mesmerizing now as it is between the sheets.
We spend the next few hours in the driveway of Zelenolsk Manor, Mikhail patiently guiding me through the intricacies of driving a manual car. Moments of frustration surface occasionally, but they’re quickly overshadowed with memories I will cherish for a lifetime.
Every time I stall the car, Mikhail’s laughter echoes throughout the sports car’s tight confines. It is infectious and warm and has me squirming in my seat more than his suggestion we take this circus on the road.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He encloses his hand over mine and guides the shifts of the gears as we glide down the long driveway. His touch is so reassuring I veer toward the open road instead of completing a U-turn.
As he continues to coach me, I think back on the past few days. They’ve been wonderful, filled with moments like these—simple yet profound. We don’t need to spend money to feel wealthy. It is in the connection we share.
We’ve grown closer, our bond tightening more with every second we spend together.
As the sun begins to set, casting a golden glow over the isolated road we’re traveling down, my heart grows heavy with guilt. Not just for the secrets I’m keeping from Mikhail, but from how I reacted when I learned some of his.
“I shouldn’t have spent money I hadn’t earned,” I confess, my voice barely a whisper. “I had no right to be angry. You had already given so much.”
Mikhail’s expression softens as he strokes his thumb across my hand. “I don’t care about the money. It’s yours to spend, and I’d give you the world if I could.”
“I know that. Truly, I do. I just…” My words trail off, an excuse, the easy way out. “This car cost a lot. It will take years for me to pay it off, possibly even decades.” He scoffs, and I grit my teeth. “The tips at Ember’s are good, but not good enough to purchase a sports car.”
“You won’t feel that way in twelve months.”
“I will.”
“No, you won’t,” he argues, his tone still humored even with it having a slight hint of arrogance.
“Mikhail…”
He pulls the world out from beneath my feet when he confesses. “You won’t because you don’t know that I removedthe top page of our agreement because I had it amended before presenting it to you.”
My heart thuds wildly as I struggle to concentrate on both him and the road.
It is lucky we are on an isolated road or we may have gotten in a wreck by now.
I blink back tears when Mikhail twists to face me before confessing, “You won’t get solely fifty million dollars at the end of our contract. You will get five hundred and fifty million dollars.”
I stare at him, my mind struggling to process his words. “What?”
He suggests I pull over before we crash before he announces without the slightest bit of worry hardening his handsome face, “I signed the entirety of our combined inheritance to you.”
“Why would you do that?”
Tears fill my eyes as I realize the depth of his love and how it has never waned. “Because a man’s wealth isn’t measured by the digits in his bank account?—”
“It’s from the memories in his heart,” we say at the same time.
When he nods, my heart squeezes.
“Mikhail…” I should say more. I need to say more. I just can’t.
I’m in shock, and it deepens when he says, “I didn’t want his money, Emmy. I only wanted you.” He tries to make out he’s not the sentimental schmuck I made him out to be multiple times during our perfect but far too short three years. “Which means in a little over eleven months, you can buy this car or that car…” He points as if a random car is driving past. There isn’t one. We’re alone, and I realize he is in this for the long haul when he says, “Or any fucking car you want. As long as it is a manual and I’m your instructor of choice.”
The horn honks when I use the steering wheel as leverage to lunge myself at him.
“Always,” I murmur over his lips before sealing my mouth over his. “You will always be my instructor of choice.”
