Chapter 756 I Didn’t Cheat
Candace raised a brow when she walked inside the bedroom and saw Matt on the bed busy with his phone.
"You are back already?" She asked since she had been expecting his conversation with Harry and her father to be lengthy.
She had only come inside because Tom and Bryan had come to get Lucy and Sonia so she had decided to go relax in her room while she waited for him to join her.
"Yes, I am. Why?" Matt asked and Candace shook her head.
"Nothing. Just surprised it didn't take long. I expected them to drill you for a bit," she said and Matt raised a brow.
"You would like that, won't you?" Matt asked and she grinned.
"Sure. What did they say to you?" Candace asked as she joined him on the bed.
"Nothing much. We did more of strolling than talking. Harry wanted to make you uneasy hence he suggested the stroll," Matt said and Candace giggled.
"That sounds like something he would do," she said with a shake of her head.
"What?" Candace asked when Matt stared at her without saying anything.
"Thanks for not wasting both our times any more than was necessary and for deciding to take this step with me," Matt said and Candace snorted.
"Like you left me any choice when you chose to play hard to get," Candace said and Matt grinned.
"If I had known that was what it would take to get you to make up your mind, I would have done it sooner. And I wasn't exactly playing hard to get. I was returning the energy you've been giving me this whole time. See that you couldn't even stand it?" Matt asked and Candace sighed.
"Yeah. I guess I should thank you for being so patient with me and not just moving on with your model girlfriend," Candace said and Matt scowled at her.
"I told you she isn't my girlfriend."
"You dated her once. And not only that, you cheated with her…."
"I didn't cheat. You said you didn't want me and I was only trying to move on," Matt said defensively.
"So, why are you back now?" she asked with a scowl and Matt chuckled.
"Because I obviously couldn't survive without you in my life. You are the air I breathe," Matt said and she rolled her eyes even though her lips were twitching with a smile.
"What if I say I was with another guy while trying to move on from you?" Candace asked and Matt narrowed his eyes.
"Were you? Who is he? How did you meet him?" Matt asked unable to hide his jealousy and she grinned.
"I was just messing with you. I need to shower and get ready for bed," Candace said as she rose, but Matt caught her hand before she could leave.
"Being here with you this way still feels surreal. I'm afraid that I might wake up and find out it was all a dream and you're still hardheaded and bent on not dating me," Matt said and Candace smiled.
"Maybe it is a dream. So you should enjoy it while it lasts," Candace said as she tried to pull him up but he pulled her down so that she fell on his body.
"Let's stay this way for a while. Let's just relax," Matt said and she raised a brow.
"We have the whole of the night to sleep…."
"Then let's just talk then," Matt said, enjoying the feeling of just being that way with her. Each time she visited him she had only just wanted to have sex and leave. They had never really just lain together in comfortable silence or think of having a proper conversation.
"What do you want to talk about?" Candace asked and Matt smiled.
"Anything. Tell me whatever you are thinking and I will listen," Matt said and Candace sighed.
"I wish Andy was here…."
"Here? You mean here in bed with us?" Matt joked and Candace laughed.
"Don't be silly. You know what I mean. She would be so happy to know I'm dating you. She always liked you," Candace said and Matt smiled.
"Your sister is pretty cool. I like her," Matt said and Candace smiled.
"So, you're my girlfriend now," Matt said and Candace nodded.
"Yes, I am. So, what next?" She asked and he pulled her closer so that her head was resting on his chest.
"So, I love you and you love me back," he said and she laughed softly.
"By the way, Harry mentioned something about going public soon. What did he mean?" Matt asked curiously.
"He wants to officially introduce me as his sister and also have me talk about being a stripper. That way nobody can bring it up like some dirty secret later," Candace explained, and Matt sat up and looked at her closely.
"Is that what you want? Is it okay by you?" Matt asked and she smiled.
"Why? You don't want me to do it? Are you feeling scared now…."
"Shut up, Candace. It's not about what I want or what Harry and your dad wants. It's about what you want. Are you comfortable with the idea of putting yourself out there like that? One of the reasons you gave up not wanting to get involved with me was because you said you didn't want your business out there and you didn't want Jamal finding out about your past. Doing this is going to expose you and Jamal," Matt pointed out and Candace smiled, glad to see how much he cared about her and her son even though she had always known he cared.
"I'm dating you now, am I not? Doesn't that put me in the spotlight already? Besides, by being so closely associated with Harry and the Hanks, I'm already in public light. In case you didn't notice, I trended quite a bit the morning after the anniversary party since everyone was curious to know who the mystery lady is. Sooner or later someone who knows me will come up to talk about me being a stripper so it's best I put it out there first. And who knows? I might just announce that Matt is my lover while on the show," Candace said and Matt smiled.
"I don't mind. As long as you let me talk about you on my interviews too," Matt said with a grin.
"I told you I'm going to be moving in with my dad, right? And when I'm done with law school I'm going to join I-Global legal team. Then you will be free to tell everyone that your girlfriend is now a lawyer and no longer a stripper," Candace said, and Matt smiled as he kissed the side of her head.
"I'm so proud of you, Candace. I'm proud of you and everything you represent," Matt said and tears gathered in Candace's eyes.
"That means a lot coming from you," Candace said with a wobbly smile and Matt used his thumb to brush a teardrop that rolled down her cheek.
"And you should know I mean it. Now I'm curious about a lot of things. I want to know all that happened during our break and how you got to know that Harry is your twin brother as well as how you reunited with them and all," Matt said and Candace raised a brow.
"That's a long story," Candace said and Matt shrugged.
"We have all night. You can start now," Matt said as he adjusted on the bed so that he could see Candace's face as she spoke.
Away from there in Tom's room, after they had showered together and climbed on the bed, Tom looked at Lucy.
"How do you feel?" He asked, and she raised a brow.
"How do I feel about what?"
"Now that Dawn has left. Are you okay?" He asked and she snorted.
"Like you care."
"You know I do. I was told you cried after she left," Tom said and she waved it off.
"Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter. I'm sure her family will take good care of her," she said hopefully.
"They definitely will. Lest I forget, I brought this for you since I love being a man of my word," Tom said as he reached for a photo album which was on top of the drawer at his side of the bed.
"What? Oh!" A smile curved her lips when he handed it to her and she realized it was his family photo album.
"When did you get it? I didn't see it earlier," She said as she reached for her glasses which was on the drawer by her side of the bed and put it on.
"I dropped it here before coming to find you at the balcony and you just didn't notice it because you were distracted by my handsome looks," Tom said with a wink and Lucy laughed as she opened the album.
"Yeah. Right," she said as she focused her gaze on the album wanting to find a suitable picture she could take.
Tom watched her with amusement as she looked through the album meticulously and took her phone to snap each page same way he had done to hers.
When she was done snapping, she took out a photo of him when he was seven years old with some tooth missing, and Tom chuckled.
"Really? Of all the cute pictures you saw there, you want that?" Tom asked and Lucy grinned.
"This is cute too," she said as she tucked it into her journal.
"Just don't let anyone else see it. It's scandalous for anyone to know the great Thomas Hank ever looked like that," Tom said and Lucy giggled.
"It's not like anyone would know that you're the one. By the way, what business did you go to handle at the hotel?" She asked conversationally.
"I thought we already agreed that I went to meet with a lady?" He asked with a sweet smile and she rolled her eyes.
"Be serious."
"Why? Are you scared your rich boyfriend might be going bankrupt?" Tom joked when she kept staring at him and waiting for a response.
"I'm being serious," she said with a slight frown and Tom sighed.
"You don't have to be so serious. It was nothing serious. Nothing for you to be worried about," Tom said dismissively.
"Should I take it that it's something you can't or don't want to share with me?" Lucy asked since she could tell now that he didn't want to talk.
"Yeah. At least for now. I can't tell you about it now, but trust me it's not something that should worry you," Tom said and Lucy nodded.
"Alright. If you say so," Lucy said as she set aside the photo album so she could go to sleep.
"But I can tell you something interesting I found out today," Tom said and Lucy raised a brow.
"What?"
"My assistant, Eric, was planted as a spy in my office," Tom said and Lucy sat up with a frown on her face.
"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked and Tom rubbed his eyes.
"I found out about it while at the hotel. I'm sure he won't be at the office by the time we get back."
"Who is he working for? How did you find out about it?" Lucy asked and Tom yawned.
"Can I give you the details later?" Tom asked and Lucy looked at him for a moment before giving him a nod.
"Sure," she said, knowing it probably had something to do with the reason he had been at the hotel which he had said he couldn't tell her about yet.
"Thanks," Tom said as he kissed her cheek.
"Tomorrow is going to be a long day, we should go to bed," Lucy said as she turned off the light by her side of the bed and snuggled closer to Tom.
"Yeah. Sweet dreams, Jewel. I love you."
"I love you more," Lucy said before dozing off shortly after.
Tom smiled as he listened to the soft whistling sound she made as she slept.
If Lucy was changing her mind on getting married and having kids with him, then perhaps it would be wise to speak with Sonia and get her help in finding out from Lucy if she would accept his proposal were he to propose to her.
Yes. He was going to do just that. He was going to ask Sonia to convince Lucy to tell him she had changed her mind so that he could start planning how to propose to her soon, Tom decided with a wide smile.
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