Page 95 of Ransom

"We figure it out." My heart pounds against my ribs. "Together. I'm not walking away this time. I can't."

"Because you made a promise to my father?"

"Because I love you." The words rip from my chest. And I'll say it again and again, until she finally believes it. Because I don't have a single doubt about how I'm feeling. "I never stopped loving you. Every relationship, every kiss—they were all measured against you. And they all fell short."

Blair's breath catches. I want to gather her in my arms, to kiss away the uncertainty I see in her eyes. But I force myself to stay still, to give her space to process. When I want something, really want something, I'm a fucking predator. I will watch, wait, and my timing is always perfect.

I want Blair. Simple as that. And I'm about to enter into the most important negotiation of my life. My whole fucking future hangs on this woman.

I will not fail.

"One chance." I hold her gaze. "That's all I'm asking for. If it doesn't work, I'll respect your decision. But don't push me away because you're scared of what could happen." I drag my hands through my hair, the familiar ache in my chest growing. "You know what scares me most? This feeling. Being desperate. I haven't felt like this since—" My voice catches. "Since I left you."

Blair's eyes find mine, storm-gray and conflicted.

"I built my whole life around never feeling this way again. Around being in control." I let out a shaky breath. "But here I am, ready to tear everything apart for a chance with you."

"Ransom—"

"Let me finish. Please." I step closer, close enough to catch her scent. "I used my family as a shield. Told myself I couldn't come back because they needed me. Because I had responsibilities."

Her brow furrows. "Your brothers do need you."

"They do. But that wasn't the real reason." The admission burns my throat. "I was a coward, Blair. I let them be my excuse because I was terrified of facing you again. Of dealing with what I'd done."

"What my father made you do," she whispers.

"No. His part doesn't excuse mine. I could have found another way. Could have written, called, something." My hands clench at my sides. "But I ran. And I kept running."

Blair wraps her arms tighter around herself. "This is—it's too much. Learning about Dad, and now you're here saying all this..."

"I know. But here's the thing about me—I always find a way to make things work for the people I love. Always. It's what I do best." I risk touching her arm. "I've built companies from nothing. Turned strangers into family. Created something beautiful out of chaos. And for a while, I forgot that about myself."

She doesn't pull away from my touch. "Um... congratulations?"

Laughing, I take a step closer. "I'm trying to show you that when something matters enough, I figure it out. I bend. I adapt." My thumb traces circles on her skin. "You matter, Blair. You always have."

Her eyes are wary. "You forgot that? Or you forgot me?"

"I didn't let myself dream of you. And in the last year or two, I developed this idea that it had to be them or you. That I couldn't have both. But I'm good at family, Blair. Really good. And I'm realizing that maybe I could have my dream."

She closes her eyes, tension visible in every line of her body. "I can't—I need time. To process all this. Dad, you, everything."

"I know." It kills me, but I drop my hand. It’s like she’s a broken record, skipping back to that same thing, over and over. And it’s my own fault. I know it's time to back off, just a little. To give her the space she needs so desperately. "I'm not asking for an answer right now. Just... don't shut the door completely. Please."

A single tear trails down Blair's cheek, catching the moonlight. In all our years together, she'd always hated crying—would scrub the tears away like they were evidence of weakness. But now she just lets it fall, and my heart cracks at the sight.

I can't stop myself. My hand reaches out, thumb brushing away that lone tear. Her skin is soft, familiar in a way that steals my breath. Blair's hand comes up, trapping mine against her cheek, and time freezes.

Memories flood through me—her laughing as we raced through early summer rain, her curled against me in the bed of that truck watching stars, her fierce eyes the last time I saw her before I left. The weight of twenty-five lost years crashes over me, but here she is, real and warm under my palm.

Every cell in my body screams to pull her into my arms, to hold her close and never let go. But I force myself to be still. I've waited this long. I can wait longer if it means doing this right.

Blair pulls back first, her voice soft. "I need to get back. Maggie's tired in the evenings lately—I help her get Max settled."

I drop my hand, ignoring how wrong it feels. "Of course."

We walk back to the truck in silence. Before she climbs in, I catch her arm. "Have breakfast with me tomorrow? At the diner?"

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