  &quot;Likewise.&quot; She giggles and hugs me again for added measure, her energy infectious and soon we're walking along, hand in hand, catching up with anything we forgot to add in our emails to each other. Sophie is infectious, her happiness brimming over into every word and mannerism and I can see Leila's influence in the quirky Converse with animal print laces and the sparkling diamantes on her jeans. Leila always liked a little bit of showiness.
      We make our way back to the main house, lost in easy conversation.
      &quot;There she is!&quot; Jake's deep tone catches us both and she beams at him, she doesn't, however, close the gap between them, the way she did with me and it's the first time I see she has that same distance with males that afflicts me. It causes me a moment of pain. A flicker of heartache for her.
      Jake strides forward, giving her a light hug quickly 

  But buying a mansion, moving to beside his family like a little married couple. He will never let me go back to working in the Carrero Corporation now, it's too much. To be a kept woman with no chance of being able to just slide back into city life should he ever get tired of me. To get cozy and make bonds with these people who I have loved being around.
      What if it all blew up in my face and I had to give up more than just him? His family. Sophie close by.
      It's all so overwhelming I can't think straight. My fear and anxiety threatening to choke me at the huge change he wants to make in my life. He has no idea how hard this is. Not so long ago, I was alone, reliant on only me. I had my own money, my own plans, and my own life and I didn't want to let anyone else in. Now here I am, willing to gamble everything on uncertainty and faith and let someone else take control. I need

  Lounging in between Jake's legs on the huge sofa in the family room feels amazing after the events of the day before, my head against his chest as he concentrates on a document in his hand and strokes my hair and neck with the other. I'm attempting to read a book, but the sheer blissfulness of our morning has me daydreaming idly instead. Every so often he plants a kiss on top of my head before turning his papers and silently focusing back on work; he's reading through contracts for something I've no idea about.
      When did this happen? When did I become so disconnected from the business side that I don't even know what Jake's reading through anymore?
      I realize it doesn't bother me at all, I like laying here detached from work while he still keeps tabs on things going on in his empire. I'm in danger of becoming a kept girlfriend at this rate and I'm not sure how I feel about it

&quot;Likewise.&quot; She giggles and hugs me again for added measure, her energy infectious and soon we're walking along, hand in hand, catching up with anything we forgot to add in our emails to each other. Sophie is infectious, her happiness brimming over into every word and mannerism and I can see Leila's influence in the quirky Converse with animal print laces and the sparkling diamantes on her jeans. Leila always liked a little bit of showiness.
      We make our way back to the main house, lost in easy conversation.
      &quot;There she is!&quot; Jake's deep tone catches us both and she beams at him, she doesn't, however, close the gap between them, the way she did with me and it's the first time I see she has that same distance with males that afflicts me. It causes me a moment of pain. A flicker of heartache for her.
      Jake strides forward, giving her a light hug quickly before releasing her and scooping forward to plant a kiss on me. He unashamedly makes me blush with

Chapter 88