Hadn''t they already put that idea to rest?


    Amara shot him a look. "You''re a catch, still on the market. Why would you want a kid attached to your name right now? What would you doter on?"


    "I don''t want to get married," he said. "Look at the entertainment industry-is there any such thing as true love? For every ten couples that get married, you''re lucky if two of them don''t end up divorced. They almost all do."


    "The moment I stepped into this world, I knew a real marriage would be nearly impossible for me. Unless I married someone outside the industry."


    As he said thest part, Keith shot a meaningful nce at Amara, but she was absorbed in her phone and didn''t notice.<fn6332> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n FindN0vel</fn6332>


    After tapping out a reply, she looked up. "Then don''t date someone in the industry. There are plenty of people out there."


    "And you must meet lots of people from other fields. Besides, you don''t have to get married. If you don''t want to, just stay single.”


    "Exactly, I *want* to stay single, but my family won''t ept that. So, what if we had a marriage of convenience? We could say the baby is mine. And you wouldn''t have to worry about Larry."


    "I was at your house all the time when we were kids; Larry doesn''t have a problem with me. And if he ever got any ideas about partnering with the West Group, that''s fine too."


    "Larry might be a bastard, but he''s a sharp businessman. If he brought a good project to the table, there''s no reason we couldn''t coborate."


    Keithid out his entire case, but Amara remained unmoved.


    She knew he was only offering because he was worried about her reputation as a single mother. It was his way of protecting her, but it was a sacrifice she didn''t need him to make.


    Besides, Keith was only in his twenties. He might be adamant about not getting married now, but what if he met the love of his life


    someday? What would happene


    then? She just smiled and shook her head.


    Seeing how stubborn she was, Keith sighed.


    "By the way," he asked, changing the subject, "how do you feel about Finnian?"


    The mention of his name brought a subtle chill to Amara''s mood, but she didn''t let it show. "There''s nothing to feel" she said casually "It''s over between us. If we have any contact in the future, it will only be because of Grandpa."


    She had been in love with Finnian since she was a teenager, a love that had spanned eight years. He was a vivid, indelible part of her story, something that could never be erased.


    Even now, his influence lingered. She hadn''t been able topletely forget him yet, but Amara was confident that one day, she would.


    Sensing the quiet finality in her tone, Keith didn''t press the issue. He patted her shoulder. "Come on, let''s go for a walk downstairs. It''s been a while."


    Amara and Keith strolled outside for half an hour. When they returned, they noticed a shift in the atmosphere between Elysia and Lucian.


    Lucian was no longer so reserved and shy; he was actively teasing Elysia And Elysja had transformed from a domineering heiress into a giggling teenager, blushing and covering her mouth as sheughed at his jokes.


    Amara didn''t know what the future held for them, but seeing Elysia so happy right now was all that mattered.


    That night, after packing up thest of her things, Amara checked her schedule


    and drove to the Everly estate. She had to say goodbye to Mr. Kevin Everly.