“No, I-”
“Because I’m not some wounded girl. I’m not thanking you for showing me a sliver of kindness.” Ruby’s voice quivered. “I’m thanking you for understanding my needs. And I’m thanking you for believing I could handle this, despite everything. So just accept my damn thanks and don’t treat me like I’m broken.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Yvonne shook her head. “I don’t think you’re broken. I just don’t want you to think that this was performing some selfless act. I enjoyed it too. Your gratitude is misplaced.”
Ruby let out an exasperated sigh. “That’s so typical of you. You’re always doing this.”
“Doing this? Doing what?”
“Pretending you don’t have a heart.”
Yvonne frowned. “I don’t do that.”
“Yes, you do. Whenever you do something nice for me, or for anyone else, you’re always so dismissive. You pretend that it doesn’t mean anything, that all your motivations are selfish.”
“Because they usually are.”
“What about this whole marriage thing?” Ruby said. “You married a stranger to help someone else, right? Nita?”
“It wasn’t just for Nita. I have other reasons for wanting that money. I didn’t want my brother to get it. And I need it to recoup my investments.”
“Sure, you say that. But if it wasn’t for Nita, would you have still married me?”
Yvonne hesitated. Did she even know the answer to that?
Ruby threw her hands up. “See, this is what I mean! You act like you’re this awful, cold-hearted person when you’re not. You act like you don’t care about anyone when you do. You’re always pushing everyone away so that you’ll end up all alone because that’s what you think you want, when really you’re just trying to protect yourself.”
Yvonne raised an eyebrow. “When we met, you said you were a therapist. Is that what this is?”
“You’re avoiding the question. I’m not wrong, am I? You’re afraid of people hurting you, rejecting you.”
Yvonne crossed her arms. “What do you want me to say, Ruby? That I’m all hung up on the fact that I spent most of my life being shoved aside, being resented just for existing?”
“It wouldn’t be surprising if you were.”
“I’m not. I don’t think about any of that.”
“Maybe you don’t think about it,” Ruby said. “But you feel it. I know you do.”
Yvonne opened her mouth to protest, but she found she couldn’t. It was true. Yvonne did feel it. She’d never stopped feeling it. And she felt it more than ever now that Ruby had come along and made Yvonne want to open up to her.
But how could Yvonne open up to anyone? Every time in her life, when she’d sought love and acceptance, she’d been abandoned, rejected, hurt. Her mother had left her alone in the world before she was old enough to find her own way. Her father, the one man who was supposed to love her, had seen her as a nuisance, something he wished he could get rid of. Her stepmother, her brother, had treated her with such contempt, had made her feel alone and unwanted like she wasn’t deserving of her father’s love, or anyone else’s.
“Believe me, I understand how hard it is to trust after you’ve been hurt. But if you give people a chance, you’ll see that it’s worth it.” Ruby placed her hand on Yvonne’s arm. “You need to stop pushing everyone away.”
Yvonne sighed. “It’s hard to break old habits. I’ve become so accustomed to living this way.”
“Lucky for you, I’m one person you can’t push away. I’m not going anywhere. We signed a contract. Two, in fact. And we took a vow. You’re stuck with me.” Ruby planted a gentle kiss on Yvonne’s cheek. “Now lie back down. I need to finish that massage.”
Yvonne felt a spike of irritation at Ruby’s bossiness. Nevertheless, she lay down again, closed her eyes and rested her head in her arms once more.
As Yvonne surrendered to the other woman’s touch, Ruby’s words played in her mind. I’m not going anywhere. That wasn’t quite true. Their arrangement had an expiration date. When the year was over, Ruby would be gone.
Could Yvonne really let Ruby walk out of her life?
Chapter 23
Yvonne sat at her desk in the Mistress Media offices, replying to the last of her emails. It was evening, and she was eager to head home to her apartment. Ruby had messaged her earlier with a photo of a dozen meticulously decorated cupcakes she’d made, along with a promise to save the best of the batch for her Mistress. While Yvonne didn’t care for baked goods, Ruby’s enthusiasm for them made Yvonne smile.
She sighed. The three-month mark was fast approaching. Soon, Yvonne would have her hands on half of her inheritance. It would be enough to help Nita, enough to recoup her own investments. All her problems would be solved.
And Ruby would have half her money too.
There was a knock on Yvonne’s office door. She looked up to find Madison entering the room, her coat and briefcase slung over her arm.
“Still here?” Madison asked. “I thought your days of staying late at the office were in the past.”
“They are,” Yvonne said. “I’m finishing up now.”
“I’m about to head out too. Just waiting for Blair to wrap things up. We have a dinner date.” Madison took a seat in the chair in front of Yvonne’s desk. “While I wait, there are some matters I need to discuss with you, I’ll need you to take care of while we’re on the honeymoon.”
Madison’s honeymoon was just over a week away. While she was gone, Yvonne would have to take over the running of Mistress Media. It would mostly be business as usual for Yvonne, but Madison insisted on reminding her of every little task and meeting Yvonne would have to attend to in her place.
As Madison continued, Yvonne’s mind drifted back to Ruby. Ruby
