"Wait, how do you even know all this?" I ask, bewildered. "This happened yesterday. How does your information network work so fast?"
Nico laughs. "You know my girlfriend Maya?"
"The one who works in marketing?"
"Yeah. Well, she has a friend who works at Leo's agency. Leo was screaming so loudly about Wyatt turning down the offer that half the office heard it. Maya's friend texted her, Maya texted me." She sounds incredibly pleased with herself.
Despite my shock, I have to smile. "That's actually impressive."
"I know, right?"
"Seriously, Nico, have you ever considered applying to the CIA? Because your information network is borderline terrifying. You know everything about everyone before it even happens."
She laughs. "The CIA couldn't afford me. Plus, I look terrible in navy blue."
"I'm being serious. First, you got all that intel on Preston, then you somehow know about Leo's offer within hours—"
"Minutes," she corrects. "I knew within minutes."
"See? That's exactly what I mean. You're like a one-woman intelligence agency."
"Flattery will get you everywhere," she says, but I can hear the pleased note in her voice. "Anyway, Wyatt just hung up on Leo." She takes a breath.
I stare at my laptop screen, my mind racing. Half a million dollars. The kind of money that could secure anyone's future, and he turned it down. Again.
A smile spreads across my face. Of course he did. Because that's who Wyatt is — someone who chooses authenticity over security, dreams over money. Just like he's been trying to show me all along.
"Snow? You still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here. I just..." My voice catches. "I'm so proud of him, Nico."
"I knew you would be." I can hear the smile in her voice. "He's all in, Snow. Just like you are."
"He really is." I press my hand to my chest, feeling the warmth spread through me. "God, I love him."
"I know you do. Now go tell him that." She pauses. "And maybe order some champagne. This deserves celebrating."
"You're right. Thanks, Nico."
After we hang up, I sit staring at the wall where Wyatt hung one of his photographs — the black and white image of wildflowers growing through a crack in concrete. It's one of the photos from his bookstore display, from that day he showed me the difference between performance and reality. Resilience, he called it then. Beauty finds a way to exist even in impossible circumstances.
He chose resilience. He chose beauty. He chose authenticity.
I hear a key in the lock. Wyatt must have pulled up while I was on the phone with Nico. The door opens, and he walks in carrying takeout from our favorite Thai restaurant, his face lighting up when he sees me.
"Hey, beautiful. Hungry?" He sets the bags on the counter, then pauses when he sees my expression. "You okay?"
I cross the room and throw my arms around him. "Nico told me."
He stiffens slightly. "Told you what?"
"About the offer." I pull back to look at him, and I know my eyes are shining. "Half a million dollars, Wyatt. And you turned it down."
His expression shifts to something wary, like he's bracing for a fight. "Yeah, I did."
"I'm so proud of you."
He blinks at me. "You're... what?"
