Love Unwritten: from the bestselling author the Dreamland Billionaires series (Lakefront Billionaires Book 1) by Lauren Asher

Author:Lauren Asher [Asher, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2024-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Rafael

I screwed up big time. That much becomes painfully clear when Ellie walks away, pretending my words didn’t affect her when I know for a fact that they did. Her pain was as obvious as the tears threatening to fall, and instead of feeling satisfied at driving her away, I feel a huge sense of loss.

I haven’t been able to shake the same feeling since last night, when I told her we were all wrong for each other, and her attempt today at making me jealous only amplified the sensation.

I like Ellie, but I’m terrified of giving in to my feelings and getting hurt after the way my last relationship turned out, so I keep pushing her away. Keep making up excuses and finding a million different reasons why we wouldn’t work. Some may be valid, but that doesn’t make the truth hurt any less.

If I were a different person, I would date her in a heartbeat, but I’m not.

I’m a screwed-up orphan with enough trust issues to keep a therapist on speed dial, while she is beautiful, compassionate, and far too perfect for someone like me. I would break her before she ever had a chance to do the same to me, and the thought of that happening makes me sick to my stomach.

Despite my reasons for keeping her at a distance, I’m still hit with guilt that is so overwhelming, I feel like I’m being choked by it. It grabs me by the throat, making it impossible to breathe.

With a heart full of dread, I head downstairs to find my son on the front deck, looking out at the ocean with a pair of binoculars pressed against his glasses.

“Hola, Papi.” Nico offers me a chance to use them, but I shake my head and take a seat on the chair beside him instead.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“Mm.” I don’t want to burden my child with my problems, so I fake a smile and try Ellie’s favorite trick to distract him.

“I spy…”

Nico beams. “What?”

I look around the yacht. “Something red.”

Nico drops the binoculars and scans the deck. “Um…the towel?” He points at the pink-and-white striped one beneath me.

My chest, which was already uncomfortably tight after my conversation with Ellie, aches.

“Nope.”

He frowns. “Hm.”

I readjust my position on purpose, drawing Nico’s attention to the lobsters on my swim trunks.

“Your bathing suit!”

“You got it.” My small smile doesn’t reach my eyes.

His roll. “Only because you gave me a hint.” He taps his chin. “I spy…something white!”

“The clouds?”

“Nope.”

“The fiberglass on the boat?”

He shakes his head, and I spend the next few minutes looking around for something white before choosing something that is pale yellow.

“The deck chairs?”

“Yes! Finally!”

My chest twinges again. I’m not sure how to continue our game, especially given Nico struggling to differentiate between similar-looking colors. If Ellie were here, she would say something to lighten the mood and make me feel better.

Too bad you pushed her away yet again.

Nico frowns. “What’s wrong?”

I break eye contact and stare out at the ocean.

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