“I don’t think he really means that,” Rene said earnestly, placing a hand on my arm in a sweet gesture of support. “He’s just worried you’ll, um, sell The Plazerra? I think this place means a lot to him, more than just a job. But he’ll… well, he’ll get over it if you need to do it.”
“I don’t,” I said, since it was true.
Rene’s eyes widened. “Oh, I thought… well, Sam said that was why you were here.” He bit his lip and ducked his head. “Sorry. Not that it’s any of my business, of course.”
Technically, I was here to let The Plazerra’s management team convince menotto sell, but if I did, it would be as a favor to Jason Hughes, not because I needed to.
Money, thankfully, was no longer a driving force in those kind of decisions for me. Once upon a time, it definitely had been, but after meeting Blair all those years ago, I’d been even more determined to make myself a success… and I had.
From the moment I’d met Blair, I’d wanted to put myself in a position where I’d be able to spoil him. I’d known from the start that I’d never be able to match the type of wealth his family had—and I’d had no intention of killing myself by trying to outdo the ridiculous amount in the trust fund he’d left in Greg’s hands, either—but I’d worked my ass off to build Garrett Construction, and eventually, it had become successful enough to allow me to finally treat Blair the way I’d always wanted to.
I simply hadn’t been willing to accept anything less. Not when it came to taking care of what was mine.
And I still wouldn’t.
“Hey, beautiful,” I said, tipping Rene’s chin up so he had to look at me. “None of that. My business is your business, becauseyou’remy business now.”
His breath caught in his throat, and he stared up at me without blinking. Then, finally, “I am? I’m not sure what… what you mean?”
“I mean that you can ask me anything, Rene. Always.”
I meant a hell of a lot more than that, but there were some things that needed to be eased into.
His cheeks went pink again. “I wasn’t trying to be nosy.”
No, he wasn’t the type. So self-contained that it made me want to both wrap him up and keep him safe forever, but also unravel him completely. But Ididhave to ease into it. If I overwhelmed him, I might lose him. Just because my own heart had gone all-in as soon as I’d finally let myself recognize what it was I wanted, by any reasonable standards, it was still far too soon to declare myself that way.
Instead, I could show him. Keep giving him exactly what he’d been blossoming under all day.
My attention and my focus.
My guidance and control.
My care and devotion.
And, since Sam mattered to Rene and The Plazerra mattered to Sam—and since I had an inkling now about why Greg had insisted that letting the little hotel stand would be a better way to honor Blair’s memory than letting Jason replace it with soulless condos—I could also give Rene something else, another sign of my commitment, even if he never knew it was for him.
But I’d have to meet with The Plazerra’s managers to make sure I understood how best to do that.
“Why don’t you go shower off the day, sweetheart,” I said, brushing the hair back from his forehead and pressing a kiss there since I had yet to get his permission to place them elsewhere. “I need to make a business call before bed.”
He’d started to melt against me, a gift that would never get old, but the minute I mentioned business, he straightened immediately, pulling away.
“Oh. Of course. Let me just, um, let me grab my stuff and I’ll give you some privacy.”
“Hey,” I said, tugging him back to me when he turned away. “It’s nothing I need to keep from you. I’m just going to check in with the management team here about the meeting I postponed from this morning.” I smiled at him. “Remember? Because I had somewhere more important to be?” I teased gently.
“You didn’t have to do that for me,” Rene mumbled, his skin flushing as he ducked his head again, but not before I saw the small smile he was hiding from me.
“But I did, because youaremore important,” I reminded him, which just made that secretive little smile of his get bigger, causing my heart to do a slow roll in my chest. “But go on now, beautiful. Go shower and get ready for bed while I take care of this.”
His head popped back up, eyes wide as he suddenly started fiddling with the takeout bag from the restaurant that he still had in his hand. “Do you… um, will you, I mean, do you think...”
“What is it, baby?” I asked, taking the bag from him and pulling him close again. “I told you, you can ask me anything.”
He nodded. “Okay. I just… I wondered.”
He stalled out again, and I laughed. I was wondering too, wondering what he wanted to ask, and it was a delicious feeling of anticipation that I hadn’t felt in far too long.
