He stares at me like I've grown a second head. “You're talking like it's a done deal.”
“Isn't it?”
“I mean, there's still negotiations, and the financing, and?—“
“Logan.” I turn to face him fully. “What's the first thing you're going to do when Team Blaze is yours?”
He's quiet for a moment. Then something shifts in his expression. The worry lines smooth out, replaced by something brighter. Hungrier.
“There's this rider,” he says slowly. “Gabriel Lopez. He's young, hungry, stuck on a mid-tier team that doesn't know whatthey have. I've been watching him for two seasons. His instincts are insane, but his current team keeps putting him on shit bikes with shit strategy.” Logan's eyes light up as he talks. “First thing I'd do is sign him. Give him the equipment he deserves. Build the team around his strengths.”
“See? You already know exactly what you want.”
“How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Get me out of my head like that.” He shakes his head, almost laughing. “I was spiraling, and you just...”
“Visualization.” I shrug. “I'm a chronic worrier. Anxiety loves to spin worst-case scenarios on repeat. If I force myself to picture the good outcome, to actually live in it for a minute, it breaks the cycle. Focuses me on what I'm working toward instead of what I'm afraid of.”
Logan studies me with new appreciation. “Kai said you helped him when he was stuck at home. I'm starting to see what he meant.”
“I have my moments.”
He stands and pulls me into a hug. He’s warm and solid.
“Thank you,” he says into my hair. “And thank you for being here. For him. You're such a change of pace for Kaiden. Maybe he'll finally stop brooding.”
“I wouldn't count on that.”
“A man can dream.” He releases me with a grin. “Now go collect your boyfriend before he wears a hole in his office floor.”
Kai insistedon stopping by my apartment before we go to his place. He leans against the doorframe of my bedroom, watching me pack.
“What do you want to do with this place?” he asks.
I pause, a sweater half-folded in my hands. “What do you mean?”
“The lease. Do you want to keep it? Let it go?” His voice is carefully neutral. “No pressure either way. I just want to know what you're thinking.”
I look around. The secondhand furniture. The prints on the walls covering the humidity marks. The tiny bed where I cried over James, where I rebuilt myself piece by piece, where I dreamed of a better future.
“I'm not ready to let it go yet,” I admit. “Is that okay? I know it probably seems silly, keeping an apartment I won't use, but?—“
He pulls me into his arms. “It's not silly. This place is yours. Your independence. Your proof that you can stand on your own two feet.” He kisses my forehead. “Keep it as long as you need. We go at whatever speed you want.”
I melt into him. “Thank you.”
“Besides,” he murmurs against my hair, “I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” I perk up.
“You'll see.”
The elevator opens directlyinto Kai's penthouse.
My sweater is still draped over the arm of the couch where I left it two nights ago. The room smells different than usual, and it takes me a moment to place it. Jasmine and vanilla. The fragrance I prefer.
