Page 76 of Silver Fox's Secret Triplets
"I'm having second thoughts because I realized I was running away."
"Running away from what?"
"From everything that mattered." I stood up, needing to move, needing to match his energy. "From responsibility. From the people who depend on me. From the possibility of building something real."
Nick's expression hardened further. "You think selling the company isn't real? You think the plans we made aren't real?"
"I think I was making those plans for the wrong reasons."
"And what reasons are those?"
"Fear." The admission came out more easily than I expected. "Fear of staying in one place long enough to get hurt again. Fear of trusting someone enough to let them close. Fear of being the kind of man who runs when things get complicated."
"So instead you're going to be the kind of man who makes impulsive decisions for a woman who already proved she can't be trusted?"
His accusation was spiteful, something I'd never seen him be. I felt my temper rise, but I kept my voice level. "This isn't impulsive. And it's not just about Ivy."
"Then what is it about?"
"It's about what kind of man I want to be. The kind who stays. The kind who builds something that lasts instead of walking away when it gets difficult."
Nick stared at me for a long moment, his breathing controlled but his anger visible in the set of his shoulders. "You're making a mistake."
"Maybe. But it's my mistake to make."
"It's not just your mistake, Duncan. It affects all of us. The board, the employees, the investors who were counting on this transition."
"The company will thrive no matter what choice I make. You know that as well as I do."
"That's not the point." He picked up his coffee, gripping it tighter than necessary. "The point is that you're letting emotion cloud your judgment. Again."
The reference to my past mistakes wasn't subtle, but I didn't take the bait. "Maybe emotion is exactly what my judgment has been missing."
Nick shook his head, disappointment replacing anger in his expression. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"I do."
He turned toward the door, then paused. "For what it's worth, I hope it works out for you. But I'm not going to pretend this doesn't change things between us."
After he left, I sat in my office for another hour, staring out the window at the city below. The conversation had gone exactly as I'd expected, but it still left me drained. Nick had been a good friend, and losing that friendship would be a consequence I'd have to live with.
But for the first time in years, I felt certain about my choice.
By six o'clock, I was standing in the kitchen, pulling ingredients from the refrigerator while the sounds of the triplets playing drifted in from the living room. Ivy sat at the counter, watching me work, her chin resting on her hand.
"You don't have to cook for us every night," she said, but her tone suggested she didn't really want me to stop.
"I want to." I pulled out chicken breasts and set them on the counter. "Besides, someone has to make sure you eat actual meals instead of whatever the kids leave on their plates."
She smiled at that, the first genuine smile I'd seen from her all day. "I eat."
"Goldfish crackers and apple slices don't count as dinner."
"They do when you're too tired to cook."
I looked at her then, really looked at her. The exhaustion was still there, carved into the lines around her eyes, but there was something else too. Something that looked almost like contentment.
"Are you happy?" I asked.
