Page 96 of Ransom

She hesitates, and I hold my breath.One fucking chance. Let me in, just a little bit.

"Okay." She nods slowly. "Eight o'clock."

"Eight. I'll be there."

The silence between us on the drive back to her house stretches tightly. There's turmoil, yes, but the heaviness from before, the unanswered questions, are gone. I know I'm taking a huge risk. Everything's changed for her tonight. Everything she thought she knew has been turned on its head.

And still, I can't help hoping.

Her house appears around the bend, warm lights glowing in the windows. Blair pulls into the driveway, cuts the engine. Neither of us moves for a second.

When she opens her door and slides out, I follow. I watch her walk toward the house, memorizing the way she moves—those usually strong, confident steps are quieter, slower. My fingers drum against my thigh as she walks away from me. It's only fair, really, that I have to watch her walk away so often. I crushed her and left her on that bench, forcing her to watch me walk away. I wonder if it felt even a little bit like this. Like her heart was being torn out, taken away.

Then she stops.

The door hangs half-open, spilling golden light across her shoulders. She turns, grey eyes finding mine.

"Eight o'clock," she says, voice carrying clear in the evening air.

A grin spreads across my face. There's no fucking stopping it. "Eight."

She disappears inside, but I stand there another moment, letting hope fill my chest.

She looked back.

Finally, I head for my car. Inside, I pull out my phone and type a quick message to Nick: "I'm going to be staying here longer than I thought."

Nick's reply: "Fuck. Really? It's going okay? You're sure you know what you're doing?"

For the first time in years, I actually do.

The pieces click into place like a perfect business deal. Blair's not some acquisition to negotiate, but the way forward is just as clear. Twenty-five years ago, I let fear drive me away. Maybe I could have made a different decision, but it doesn't really matter anymore. I don't let my brothers dwell on the mistakes they made in their past, so why shouldn't I give myself the same grace? And in those years away, I built an empire, created a family, and proved to myself that I deserved a second chance; that I don't have to spend the rest of my life paying for what I did to my family.

But I never let her go. Not really.

Blair's got roots here—deep ones that wrap around Maggie, Max, and every person in this town. She won't leave, and I won’t let that be the obstacle I told myself it was.

I pull out my laptop, opening the financial reports Cara sent earlier. Head office runs like clockwork these days. The team knows their jobs inside and out. And with video calls, remote work, travel...

My fingers tap against the steering wheel. The logistics will be complex, but I've handled worse—much worse. I'll need totalk to my brothers, figure out a schedule that lets me split time between here and Chicago. But I have to believe they'll support me.

The streetlight catches my reflection in the rearview mirror. I look different than I did at fifteen—we both do. But that spark when Blair's near, the way my heart races just thinking about seeing her tomorrow...that hasn't changed.

I'm done running. Done letting fear of what I might lose keep me from fighting for what I want. Blair needs time to process, to trust me again, and I'll give her that. But I'm not going anywhere.

This time, I'm staying right here.

This time, I'm following my heart.

32

BLAIR

Iquietly close the front door and lean against it, my mind a freaking tornado of confusion after everything that happened in the last hour. Maggie steps out of the kitchen, her thin frame wrapped in her favorite cardigan. One look at my face, and her eyes narrow.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." I shake my head.I am such a liar."I just need some air." Peeking to make sure Ransom's car's gone, I open the door.

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