Page 23 of May's Bad Boy: Kody

I look down at Sadie, now fully awake and tracing shapes on the blanket with her fingers. Her quiet presence grounds me.

"What if I say yes and I screw it all up?"

Ruby sits forward, elbows on her knees. "Then you'll fix it. You'll figure it out. Because you're not that girl who had to ask for help at the clinic anymore, Paige. And it's time the rest of the world saw that too."

Tears sting the back of my eyes, but I don't let them fall. Not yet.

"I'm scared," I whisper.

"Of course you are," Ruby says. "It means it matters."

The folder feels heavier in my hands now. The weight of possibility. Of hope.

A few hours later, I sit at Caitlin's kitchen table with her, Ruby, and Miss Ada. The scent of cinnamon coffee cake fills the room, but I can't taste a thing. Everything's still spinning.

Miss Ada reaches across the table, her weathered fingers covering mine. "You saved my home. Let me tell you who saved mine."

She tells us about Ruby's friend and his legal team, how they helped her file an injunction and exposed the developer's tactics. "He's not just trying to run a spa," she says. "He's trying to stop them from taking over the town, one home at a time."

Caitlin pours more coffee, her voice soft but steady. "And he chose you, Paige. Not just because of your resume. Because you give a damn. Because you fight. Because this place needs someone who understands both grit and grace."

Ruby leans back, arms crossed and smug. "He doesn't just want you managing the spa. He wants you to be the heart of it."

The words sit in my chest like a heartbeat, steady and slow. I've never thought of myself that way: central, essential, needed. But maybe it's time I start.

That night, back at the cabin, Sadie is on the floor building a castle out of blocks while Kody helps her sort by color. I sit on the couch, offer letter open in my lap, and try not to shake.

He looks up. "You okay?"

"I don't know," I say honestly. "What if I mess it up? What if I'm not strong enough?"

Kody gets up and walks over, kneeling in front of me. He takes the folder from my lap and sets it on the table.

"You went toe-to-toe with a billionaire-backed lawyer and made him sweat. You're more than strong enough," he says.

I smile, but it's shaky. "Would you think I was selfish if I took something that's... just for me?"

His expression softens. "No. I'd think it's about damn time."

He sits beside me, brushing his fingers over mine. "You've spent so long putting yourself last. It's time you took something for yourself. Something that makes you feel alive."

I lean into him, our foreheads touching. The warmth in his eyes gives me the courage I didn't know I needed.

The next morning, I meet Levi and Peyton at the future site of the spa. The building is still raw, filled with sawdust and the scent of fresh wood, but I can see it. I can see the reception desk, the treatment rooms, and the quiet places where people will come to breathe again. A space to exhale, to heal.

Levi walks me through the plans and construction timeline, and the realtor, explains the layout and what is expected of me with the building. The owner's requirements are clear. It’s to be wellness focused, community rooted, luxe but accessible. But the rest? That's up to me.

Me.

For the first time in a long time, I feel something warm and fierce bloom in my chest.

CHAPTER 10

PAIGE

One week after the custody hearing, I'm standing in the middle of what will soon be Mustang Mountain's first high-end wellness spa, clutching a clipboard in one hand and a lukewarm coffee in the other. The place is half chaos, half dream. Tools are scattered across the floors, the tile shipment is delayed again, and the lobby still smells like drywall dust. But underneath it all? It's beautiful. The bones of this place hum with promise. And it's mine.

Sadie twirls in the center of the open doorway with Hades watching over her. They bonded about a week go when he came poking around and Shane had to assure Kody Hades was a pet, not a completely wild animal. Ever since, he’s been following Sadie around. I’m pretty sure it’s because she always has snacks for him.

---