"Fine." I sit back in my chair. "Let me know when it's all ready."
Edward opens his mouth, closes it, then nods slowly as if he's slightly dazed. "Of course. We'll be in touch."
They gather their things and shake hands with Callum.
"Can you please provide us with your legal team's info?" Claire asks.
"My receptionist at the front will give you whatever you need," Callum says.
She nods and walks out.
I stare down at the business cards they left on the table and then look at Callum, who's waiting for me to speak.
"That felt good," I say finally.
"What did?"
I turn to face him, tucking one leg under me in the expensive leather chair. "Having something to give to someone I care about."
For all the years I spent with the Order, I never really had anything that was mine, and the first time I do, I give it away.
Callum comes over and kisses me, slow and deliberate, his hand cupping the side of my face.
"You're incredible," he says. "But you're going to run Shadowharbor."
I blink. "What? I just gave it to you."
"And I'm hiring you to run it."
A laugh bursts out of me. "You can't hire me to run something I just gave you."
"I can do whatever I want. I'm Callum Killaney."
I laugh again and roll my eyes. "Yes, you are."
"Besides, you're brilliant," he says and leans down and kisses me again. "Who better to dismantle Cormac's legacy than the daughter he underestimated? Who better to rebuild it into something clean than the woman who survived everything he threw at her?"
"I'm a cult survivor, not a CEO."
He shrugs. "I have faith in you. You can learn to run a company."
"With what experience? What qualifications?"
"With me." He squeezes my shoulders. "With an army of accountants and lawyers and advisors who actually know what they're doing. With a boyfriend who happens to run one of the most successful criminal enterprises in Massachusetts. And not to mention my sister Keira knows a lot about the company and she'd be glad to help you as well.
I snort. "Quite the résumé builder."
"I'm serious, Zaria." The humor fades from his face. "You don't have to do this alone. You're never going to have to do anything alone again. But I want you to have this. I want you to have something that's yours, something you built, something that proves to yourself that you're more than what he made you."
"I'm scared," I admit.
"I know."
"What if I fail?"
"Then we fail together."
I stand up and hug him, then stand back with eyes wide and look up at him.
