Free Better (Too Good series) by S. Walden

this for days, Cadence. I talked with—”
    “You saved that money for you!” Cadence interrupted.
    Mark paused before replying.
    “No. I saved it for you. I just didn’t know it then.”
    Cadence blinked, then placed her glass on the table. She leaned back against the couch cushions and considered her boyfriend. He smiled at her, and she nodded.
    “You say all the right things .”
    He chuckled.
    “And I love it, and it’s frustrating.”
    He took her hand.
    “How can you afford this?” Cadence asked softly.
    “Cadence, I’ve been saving my money for years.”
    “So what? You still have bills. Rent. What about your undergrad loans?”
    He grinned patiently. “I got a scholarship.”
    “All four years?”
    “I finished in three.”
    “Liar.”
    “I swear! Worked my ass off, but I did.”
    “And grad school?”
    “Took it slow. Paid what I could when I could.”
    She pursed her lips.
    “I’m debt-free. I’ve saved my money. You’ve gotta trust me on this. I’m not rolling in the dough, but I can afford to send you to school. Just don’t get the meal plan, okay? That’ll put me in the hole.”
    She laughed.
    “Trust me,” he whispered.
    “You don’t have to take care of me like this,” she said.
    “Yes I do. That’s my job as a man.”
    “Is it?”
    “Well, you don’t have to accept it if you don’t want to. I know you’re all independent and everything.”
    Cadence snorted. “I’m far from independent, and you know it.”
    Mark pursed his lips. “But that’s the beauty of this arrangement. You’re not supposed to be. Just like I’m not supposed to be entirely independent either. If we both were, we’d have no need for each other.”
    Cadence considered this.
    “But you do way more than me.”
    “That’s not true,” Mark replied. “ Your problem is that you wanna make it all about money. Okay then. Yeah. I make more money than you. That means I take on more financial responsibility. And I’m fine with that.”
    Cadence tried to interrupt.
    “Just listen,” Mark cut in. “You pull your weight in other ways, Cadence. You contribute a lot.”
    Cadence shrugged.
    “But you know what?” he asked.
    “Hmm?”
    “I wouldn’t give a shit if you did nothing but lay around all day because loving you is not about percentages: I give 50 percent. You give 50 percent. That’s bullshit. My job is to love you and give to you as much as I can each and every day. Try to make it to one hundred. On my own.”
    “You usually do,” Cadence said, smiling.
    “Then I must be doing something right.” He winked at her.
    “But I can’t let you give me your school money,” Cadence replied.
    “Why? It’s mine to give to whomever I want. And I think you’re being pretty damn selfish by not accepting it.”
    “But you’ll own me!” Fuck , Cadence thought.
    “You think that’s what this is about? Having an upper hand or holding something over your head?” Mark star ed at her in disbelief. “Do you even understand the definition of a gift?”
    “No.” Cadence folded her arms over her chest defensively. How could she? Everything given to her by her parents was conditional. Except her laptop.
    Mark walked to the couch and squatted beside her.
    “It’s given freely. No strings. No expectations. No payback.”
    “Why?” she whispered.
    “Because I love you. Madly. You’ve infiltrated my brain. Driven me crazy.” He watched her carefully. A tiny grin that played at her lips turned into a full-on smile. “You’ll have to commit me one day, you know.”
    “I won’t. I’ll take care of you,” she said, reaching her hands out to him. She pulled his head into her lap and played with his hair.
    “You’re accepting this gift from me,” he said.
    She nodded.
    “Cadence?”
    “I’m nodding.”
    “And I will never expect anything from you for it. ” He paused. “Well, maybe one thing.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Just love me. That’s all I want you to do,” he said.
    “But