I shake my head. “I… I can’t…” The words are a choked whisper. I wrench my arm free from her grip. The need to escape is overwhelming.
I push back my chair, the legs scraping harshly on the polished floor. Ignoring Charlie’s startled call, I plunge into the crowd.
My focus narrows to a single point: the arched doorway leading out of the main ballroom. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere I can think.
I stumble into a blessedly quiet hallway. The noise level drops instantly, muffled by thick carpet and ornate wood paneling. The air is cooler here, smelling faintly of lemon polish.
I lean back against the wall, trying to calm my breath.
Let me come home.
I love you.
I was a coward.
The words whirl in my head, and I try to make sense of them. He rejected the trade. He’s staying in Chicago. He… he bought the block? And saved Sugar Rush?
The insanity of it leaves me lightheaded. And then the rest… the public confession, the raw vulnerability… laid bare for everyone. Forme.
Anger surges, hot and sudden, burning away the shock. Howdarehe? How dare he walk away, break my heart, shatter Tabby’s trust, and then stand up there and… and dothat? Like some romantic hero in a cheesy movie. Like words and money could just erase the hurt he caused…
“Holly.”
The voice comes from the end of the hallway. I flinch, my head snapping up.
Denton is standing in the hallway, backlit by the glow of the ballroom. He looks… wrecked. His tie is slightly askew, his usually impeccable hair disheveled. His eyes are fixed on me, intense and searching. He takes a tentative step forward, then stops.
“Don’t,” I snap, the word cracking like a whip. I push myself off the wall, standing tall despite my trembling knees. “Don’t you come near me right now.”
He flinches as if struck, freezing mid-step. His hands clench at his sides. “Holly, please. Just… let me talk to you.”
“Talk?” My laugh is as sharp as shattered glass. “What could you possibly say, Denton? What magic words do you have leftafter that… thatperformance?” I gesture wildly back towards the ballroom.
“Was that part of your strategy? The grand finale? Expect the girl to swoon into your arms?” The fury fuels me, sharpening my voice. “Did you think a public declaration would just… erase everything? Make it all better?”
He winces, his jaw tightening. “No. God, no, Holly. That’s not… I did it because…”
He takes another step, slower this time, his gaze never leaving mine. “Because I was wrong. So fucking wrong.”
“Wrong?” I echo, the anger simmering dangerously. “Is that what you call it? Walking out? Leaving me standing there like an idiot, believing you?”
My voice rises, trembling with the force of my emotion. “It was cruel, Denton. It was cowardly. It was…” I choke on the words, the memory of that icy numbness I felt after he left, the hollow ache of packing up my dream. “It broke me.”
He closes his eyes for a second, a muscle jumping in his jaw. When he opens them again, they are bright with unshed tears. “I know,” he whispers. “I know it did. And I will spend the rest of my life trying to make that up to you. If you let me.”
He takes another step, closing the distance between us. I can smell the faint, clean scent of his cologne. “I was scared, Holly. Scared of needing you that much. Scared of what would happen if… if I let myself love you completely, and then…”
He swallows hard, unable to say the words. “I thought running was the right thing to do. I convinced myself it was.”
He runs a hand through his hair, making it even more disheveled. “But it was stupid and hurtful.”
His gaze bores into mine, intense, pleading. “Seeing the hurt in your eyes… I realized the biggest risk wasn’t loving you. It was losing you. Forever.”
He takes the final step, stopping just an arm’s length away. He doesn’t touch me. He just stands there, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his eyes holding mine captive.
“I’m not asking you to forget what I did. I’m asking for a chance. A chance to prove that I’m not that coward anymore. That I can be the man you deserve.”
His voice drops to a husky whisper, thick with emotion. “I love you, Holly James. Not because it’s easy, or safe, but because you make me feel alive. You and Tabby… you’re my home. The only home I want.”
