Sofia turned from him and walked over to the cream-colored leather couch and sank down into it. She leaned forward, running her hands over her face, thankful she didn’t bother with makeup that morning.
“Why don’t you relax for a minute? I’m going to put your suitcase in my room and plug my phone in. I’ll be back with some drinks and we can keep talking, okay?”
She looked up at the man that was consuming her mind and head and just nodded in response. Sofia had highly underestimated the amount of money Ozzie had even after he told her the truth. It was easy for her to live in her bubble of happiness with him. They spent time at her normal apartment, eating at normal restaurants with her niece... being a normal couple. Now, sitting in the middle of his penthouse apartment in the building that he owned, it overwhelmed her with fear. The thoughts that kept trying to creep in about her never being enough for him won their battle. She couldn’t live in this world and be with him. Sure, her brothers seemed to be good people, but money and power clearly ruled her father and uncle. Just as her guardians were ruled by the number in their bank accounts, not her wellbeing. He already made drastic changes to have her in his life that he likely wouldn’t have made if they weren’t together. She was crazy to think this whole thing would work between them.
Sofia stood from the couch and made her way back to the front door. She still had her purse and her phone. All she needed to do was get back downstairs and she could get a taxi back to her house. She reached for the door, but Ozzie’s voice made her stop.
“Are you leaving me again?”
He sounded wounded, hurt and in that moment Sofia realized she never considered what he went through the first time she ran out on him. He deserved more, so she turned and looked back to him.
“I don’t think I can do this.”
“Do what exactly?”
“This,” she said, pointing between the two of them, “Us.”
“Because of last night?” he said, stepping towards her, closing the space between them.
“No, last night was... incredible.”
“Then what is it Sof? What has you running from me this time?”
“This world of yours, I don’t fit into it. I’m not made for penthouse suites and real estate investing. Heck, I’m not made for the money Micah had transferred to me and it’s supposed to be mine. How could I ever be the person you need in your life?”
Ozzie reached for her hand and pulled her back towards the living room. She let him lead her back to the couch, but instead of leaving her there alone this time, he sat with her, holding her hands in his.
“Sofia, I don’t do well with other people telling me what I need in my life. I chose my path and the path I have chosen is you. I don’t care about all this,” he said waving his hand in the air, “What I care about is you.”
“I know, and that’s the problem. You’ve already changed so much just to bring me here. What else will you change in the future? What happens when you change something for me you don’t want to change?”
“If it’s for you, then I will want it. If it’s not something I’d want, then we would talk about it. That’s what being in a relationship with someone is about.”
“You’ll resent me.”
“Never.”
“You can’t say that.”
“I can because I know it’s true. It may not be very obvious to you, but I am falling madly in love with you. Never in a million years would I have thought that I’d meet my wife on a matchmaking site, but fate had other things in store. I want forever with you, Sofia, and I had hoped you would want the same from me.”
She wanted those things. She wanted everything with Ozzie, but the future was terrifying.
“I know everything won’t be perfect all the time, but if I can convince you to stop running away from me, then we can work through these things together.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Just tell me you’ll try.”
Sofia looked around the apartment and took in the elegance that was around her. It seemed insane that he would have willingly spent so much time at her run-down apartment when he had this to come home to.
“Where’s Sammy?”
“He stayed with Angelo and his mom last night since I knew we wouldn’t be home.”
“Oh, okay,” she said, feeling a bit deflated. Squeezing that sweet pup would have made her feel more grounded, more like herself.
“We can go pick him up if you want.”