MINE COMPLETELY: The Billionaire's Obsession Valentine's Day Romance (The Billionaire's Obsession Trilogy) Read Online Free Page B

continuing. “In his own screwed-up way, he’s trying to take care of you. Sometimes men connect their own self-worth with their ability to take care of the woman they love. Yeah, it’s old-fashioned and ridiculous, but true. Believe me; Simon has never had any question about you being a gold-digger. That’s your hang-up, not his.”
    “I do accept him. I don’t reject any part of Simon. I admire the way he and Sam pulled themselves up from poverty and…”
    “Then for God’s sake drop the prenup idea and let the guy buy you stuff. If it makes him happy, what does it matter if he spends his money to give you something? You deserve it and he knows you aren’t after him for his money. But you need to accept that he’s richer than God and anything he gives you won’t make even a tiny dent in his net worth.” Maddie put her hands on her hips as she finished, giving Kara an admonishing stare.
    “He already buys me things. More things than I need.”
    “Yeah. And you fight him over it. I understand that you’ve lived with almost nothing your entire life so you think you don’t need anything. You’re going to have to deal with the fact that you’re marrying one of the richest men in the world. If he were trying to buy your love or could only show his affection through material things, that would be a problem. But that’s not true in Simon’s case. He’s just trying to be thoughtful, trying to take care of you. I say…let him do it and enjoy the things he gives you without feeling guilty. If you really want him to be happy, let him spend his money on you.  Compromise. You’re still living in survival mode, counting every penny you spend. I get that. But you don’t need to do that anymore and Simon doesn’t see his spending as extravagant. He sees it as normal because he’s become accustomed to being wealthy. Understand?”
    Kara stared at Maddie, comprehension dawning slowly. Compromise? Wasn’t that what she had always thought she was doing? But was she really? Had she ever really tried to understand Simon’s side of the money issue? Groaning inwardly, Kara realized that she still never bought anything that wasn’t vital to her survival and she chastised Simon whenever he spent any money on her. For Simon, his gifts had been normal, equivalent to his lifestyle. They may have seemed over-the-top to her because she had always lived in poverty, but she was starting to see how Simon could interpret her behavior as a rejection.
    “How did you ever become so wise when it comes to men?” Kara asked Maddie, knowing her friend rarely dated and had been raised in several foster homes.
    Maddie shrugged. “It’s easy to see as an observer. Harder to recognize when you’re actually emotionally involved. I’ve watched you and Simon for a year now, seen your reaction on your birthday, Christmas and any other time he gives you something nice. Instead of accepting his gifts with a smile, you chew him out for spending money on you. And I’ve seen his injured looks. He thinks he’s giving you something that will please you and it doesn’t. I think it’s hard on his ego.”
    “Oh, God. I’m such a bitch. I didn’t know. I didn’t think about it that way.” Tears sprung to her eyes. Oh shit, don’t start crying again.
    “Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it. You’re a survivor. Your attitude has gotten you through a lot of challenges in your life. There’s no shame in that. I’m just saying that it’s time to let go of that particular defense mechanism and relax a little. Let Simon give you some nice stuff, take a nice honeymoon. The man has a private jet. Use it.” Maddie scooped up Kara’s test results from the exam table. “Try to go somewhere other than Disneyworld this time.”
    Kara smiled at Maddie weakly. Disneyworld on her spring break was the only vacation Kara had ever allowed Simon to give her. “Hey, I wanted to go to the Magic Kingdom. I’d never been there before. It was