Page 110 of Billionaire Unbroken - Asher
I shot him a knowing glance. “That’s not going to happen. She’s my woman.”
He nodded, obviously not happy, but satisfied with that statement.
“I need to run into the store for a few minutes to get a few things for my mom,” Sierra declared as she sent us both a warning glare. “I’m sure you two want to catch up. Try not to kill each other while I’m gone.”
Gideon and I were silent for a moment as we watched Sierra head for the market.
“How in the hell did you two end up together?” Gideon asked as Sierra disappeared.
Gideon knew a lot about my past.
We’d been tight during our years in Austin.
I’d shared more with him than I’d ever shared with anyone except Cole.
We hadn’t exactly been colleagues in Austin, but we’d been in the same business circles.
“I needed a housekeeper. When she showed up at my place, I offered her the job. I had no idea that you’d sent her to Crystal Fork. You know that Cole got married. Sierra was there to help me get through all of those wedding events.”
“That probably wasn’t easy,” he said grudgingly. “I didn’t tell her all of your personal business, Asher. I just asked her to stop by your ranch. I knew you were having a hard time. Maybe I thought Sierra could be a friend because she had to fight to recover, too. You seem better. You’re obviously getting out again.”
Other than Cole and Sierra, Gideon was the only other person who knew about my struggles with PTSD and the fact that I was seeking treatment in Montana.
“Exposure,” I explained. “Like I said, Sierra has been there for me.”
“She’s been through it herself,” he commented.
“That’s probably why we initially got along,” I shared.
“And now you’re crazy about her?” he asked a little skeptically.
“Probably more than that,” I said gruffly. “You have no idea what a huge favor you did for me when you sent her to my ranch. I want a future with her, Gideon, but I don’t want to rush her. You know what she’s been through.”
“You’re really that serious about her?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I can’t imagine my life without her anymore.”
“If it makes you feel better, she’d never be with you if she wasn’t crazy about you, too. I don’t think she’s even thought about a relationship because of what happened to her. I honestly wasn’t sure if she could ever trust someone again.”
I wondered just how much Gideon knew about the details of Sierra’s life.
Probably not much because she’d obviously never told him about her financial struggles.
There was no way that Gideon would have allowed her to suffer financially if he’d known.
Maybe they’d been tight as children, but Sierra had definitely kept some things to herself.
“You two didn’t connect much during her marriage?” I asked.
He shook his head. “She was pretty distant. It was like we were friendly acquaintances. We ran into each other a few times here in Hollister when we were both visiting at the holidays. She avoided me. Probably because her husband was an asshole. In hindsight, I think she was actually trying to protect me. After a while, I think I just gave up. We reconnected again after she got out of the hospital. We’ve stayed in contact ever since. I wasn’t happy when she told me that she was moving to Billings, but I understood her need to get away from the place that had caused her so much pain. I thought maybe she needed a new start.That’s another reason why I told her to look you up. I was going to ask you to keep an eye on her. I just haven’t had the chance to talk to you about it. Things have been pretty crazy since my dad died.”
“I’m sorry about your dad,” I said sincerely.
He nodded sharply. “Thanks. We have a lot to work out. We’re all home now.”
I didn’t doubt that things were complicated.
The Alexander empire was vast.
