Page 151 of Holding You
I sit there for another second, no doubt with shock written all over my face.
“Well, it’s about time you all said something.” Sadie nudges Hudson.
“And you better do more of it from here on out,” Quinn says, grabbing another piece of bacon.
“I …” is all Shay gets out through her tears.
“I’m sorry if we ever made you doubt how proud we are of you, Ruby,” my dad says and stands to hug me where I sit. “But the question remains: why are you still here? Declan isn’t just some guy, and he sure as hell isn’t going to steal you away from us for years on end. You’ll be back more than enough with that one. And here or there, wherever you end up, we are still going to think nothing but the best of you.”
“But …”
“Go get them, Mom,” Max says from the doorway. “I miss them, too.”
I wipe the tears off my cheek and share a look with everyone at the table. Of course, I start crying again when I make eye contact with Shay, because she’s crying even harder now.
“Are you all okay watching Max until I get back?”
“What?” Max squeaks behind me. “I’m coming, too.”
He earns a laugh from everyone for that one, but it only lasts a moment before everyone gets to work. An hour later, Max and I are in the car headed for the airport in Wind Valley.
By the timethe wheels touch down in Chicago, my confidence has slipped a little.
We both practically run to the area where an Uber will pick us up, wheeling carry-on bags behind us, and take us to Declan’s offices.
“Are you nervous?” Max asks, his focus on my bouncing knee.
“A little.”
“Don’t be. He told me how much he loved you the day he left.”
I fight back the tears.
I never let Declan say the words that night, but it seems he was going to make sure I knew them either way.
I just hope I’m not too late.
The car pulls to a stop outside his building, and Max’s eyes go wide.
“He owns this?”
“Not all of it, just a few floors.”
With Max’s hand in mine, we march into the building.
I check in with security, and they direct us to the elevators.
Max and I don’t speak as we take it all in, but that’s okay. I think the silence speaks volumes for both of us.
The elevator doors open to Declan’s floor, and the hustle and bustle of a business is in full force. Yet, to the right, Susie is sitting in her own cubicle, watching a movie.
She glances up, then looks back to her iPad, and then back up.
She jerks her headphones over her head and drops the tablet to the desk, running to us with a high-pitched squeal and leaping into my arms.
“I missed you!” she says.
“We missed you, too,” I tell her and then set her down. She and Max immediately pick up where they left off, Max rescuing her iPad and sharing the chair.
