Page 93 of Bound By Crimson
“She’s been sick,” he continued. “Nothing urgent, just... aging stuff. She’s alone in that big house and it’s getting harder for her to manage. I’ve been thinking—what if we went there? Just for a while. Maybe longer. It’s the house I grew up in—huge old estate, acres of land, gardens, staff to help with anything. It’s not like we’d be cramped. We’d have our own wing.”
Lyric blinked. “You mean... leave New York?”
He nodded, then reached for her hand. “I know it’s sudden. But hear me out.”
He squeezed her fingers gently. “You’re running yourself into the ground. And I hate being pulled away all the time too. What are we even doing this for? Money? Status? We already have everything we need.”
She looked down at their hands, his thumb brushing small circles against her skin.
“You’d really leave your company?” she asked.
“I don’t need it. I’ve been telling myself I was working for the future—but what kind of future am I building if I’m never around to see it? I have more than enough money for a thousand futures.”
Her throat tightened.
“I want to be with you,” he said. “To slow down. To cook dinner together. To walk the gardens and feel the seasons change. To raise a family in peace, not traffic and emails. I want a family, Lyric!”
A dream. That’s what it sounded like.
And yet...
“My store,” she whispered. “I’d have to let it go. It hasn’t even been open a month.”
He didn’t flinch. “You’d have to let this version of it go. But you’re still the designer. Still the heart. You can sketch from anywhere. You can still send your work to the atelier. You’ll have time, space, calm. And you can do it at your own pace.”
Her silence stretched. She imagined closing the boutique. Taking down the sign. Handing Kat a final paycheck. Folding the clothes she designed with trembling hands, knowing she was walking away from everything she built.
And yet, the future Kai painted—felt safer.
Softer.
It didn’t ask her to juggle every piece of herself until she shattered.
He tilted his head, as if sensing the storm inside her. “I’ve been thinking about something else too.”
She looked up.
“I want to marry you, Lyric. I want that life with you. I’ve always wanted that.”
Her breath caught. Not because it was unexpected—but because of how easily it slipped into the dream. It made everything feel final. Real. Sealed.
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted.
His eyes widened in shock. Then, without hesitation, he picked her up and hugged her tightly.
“When? How far along? This is perfect!” He didn’t even try to hide his excitement.
The pure joy in his reaction melted her.
All of her defenses lowered.
He kissed her knuckles. “I want to give you everything. And I want our baby to have our name. Our home. Raising a baby at my family estate is the right thing to do.”
She felt herself slipping.
Willingly. Stupidly. Softly.
But a flicker of fear caught in her chest. What if she was making a mistake? What if giving up the life she’d built meant losing herself?
