She had been staying home to recover. Although she went out asionally, it wasn''t often. The same went for him.


    "Besides," Ste continued, "you can''t just revolve your whole life around me like you did before."


    He looked up at her. "Why not?"


    "Because you''re the head of the Gardner family now. You need to maintain your authority. If you''re constantly following me around, people are going to talk."


    "Don''t worry," he saidzily. "They wouldn''t dare."


    Ste suddenly remembered the elderly Gardner matriarch who had gone to see Neville Connolly. Even at her advanced age, she had cowered in front of Joshua, too terrified to even meet his eyes. It was a testament to how deeply Joshua''s ruthless reputation had been burned into everyone''s minds.


    After a brief silence, Ste tried another angle. "Joshua, you taught me so much because you wanted to see me stand on my own two feet. If you''re always hovering over me, solving every problem thates my way, I''m never going to grow."


    "Star, I promise I won''t interfere," he said smoothly. "You make the calls. I won''t step on your toes."


    He seemed dead set on returning to her side.


    A sliver of doubt crossed Ste''s mind. Joshua wanted toe back to work for her, and right on cue, Wilbur resigned. Was it just a coincidence?


    But she quickly dismissed the thought. She was desperately short on manpower anyway; even if


    P


    Joshua came back, there was push Wilbur out the


    reason to push.


    thonished as quickly as


    it


    had appeared, and she didn''t dwell


    on it.


    Now that they were officially a couple, Ste really didn''t want him working for her. It


    blurred the lines between their personal and professional lives too much.


    Of course, the biggest issue was that ever since they got together, Joshua had be overwhelmingly dominant and possessive. Having him hover over her 24/7 was bound to mess with her focus.


    "Joshua, if you really have that much free time," Ste suggested gently, "you should find a hobby. Pick up something you enjoy doing. You don''t need to pour all your energy into me."


    "Being with you is what I enjoy doing," Joshua replied simply. "Seeing you every day, focusing all my attention on you that''s what makes me feel fulfilled. It makes my days mean something."


    Ste didn''t want him obsessing over her to this degree. After all, the trigger for his mental instability had been rted to her in the first ce. She hoped that if he redirected some of that intense focus, it might actually help his condition improve.


    She opened her mouth to try and persuade him again, but he cut her off.


    A cryptic, almost dangerous smile yed on his lips. "Why do you keep pushing me away, Star? Don''t you want to be with me every day? Or... do you not love me anymore?"


    "No, of course not," Ste instinctively denied. "I just think a little space and healthy boundaries might be good for us..."


    He stared intensely into her eyes. "I don''t need space, and I don''t want boundaries. When you love


    someone, you''re supposed to b


    with them every second of the day. Even if you stop loving me one day, you''re not allowed to leave. Star, you reeled me m, and now you have take full responsibility. My world doesn''t have breakups or


    divorces-only widowhood. Anyone who tries to tear us apart is a dead man walking."