She leaned in, careful of his IVs and bandages, and cupped his face.“You don’t have to give up who you are for me.”
He met her gaze, unwavering.“I’m not.”The beat that followed felt deliberate.“I’m choosin’ who I become.”
Emotion flooded her face, raw and open and everything he’d nearly lost.
He squeezed her hand again, reveling in the fact that she was alive and here.Real.
“I don’t want a life that doesn’t include you,” he said quietly.“So if you’ll have me—whole, flawed, and occasionally reckless—I’m yours.”
Her answer came without hesitation.
It didn’t need words.It never had.
#
Chloe’s heart felttoo full for her chest.Kayne’s words settled over her slowly, warm and steady, seeping into places she hadn’t realized were still braced for loss.The fact that he would evenconsiderwalking away from a job he loved for her left her a little breathless.COBRA Securities was not only his purpose, but his family.
Emotion thickened her voice.“Kayne, that means more to me than I can say.”
He searched her face, waiting.Worried.
“But,” she added gently, “there’s something I need to tell you.”
His brow furrowed, and a flicker of panic crossed his features, but he nodded.“Okay.”
She drew a slow breath, choosing honesty over fear.“I’ve already decided to sell the gym.”
The words hung between them.
“There is no way I can stay there,” she continued quietly.“I didn’t know it was the epicenter of what Donald and Pam were doing, but knowing it now ...I can’t walk into that building every day.It’s forever, irrevocably tainted.I can’t build a future on top of something where so many kids were hurt.It doesn’t matter that I didn’t know then.My body knows now.”
Kayne didn’t interrupt or argue.He simply listened.
“I loved that place because I thought it was a community,” she said.“Because I thought it was sweat and laughter.Now every room feels haunted.”Her throat tightened.“I don’t want anything to do with it.”
He squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“I don’t need a physical gym,” she went on.“I can shoot videos anywhere.My clothing line and website can be run from afar.I’ve already been doing half of it remotely.”She gave a small, sad smile.“Turns out all I really need is space, internet, and a little peace.”
His expression eased.Relief, maybe, mixed with something thoughtful.
“There’s something else,” he said, “about the marketing side of your business.”
She tilted her head.“What about it?”
He shifted slightly against the pillows.“Three of the wives of guys I work with run a company called TKO Productions.They’re sharp as hell.Built it from the ground up.They’re a production company, but they’ve expanded into branding, campaigns, logistics—the whole operation.”A corner of his mouth lifted.“They’re scary competent.”
Chloe blinked.“You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack,” he said.“I already asked, and they could take over your website, social media, and marketing tomorrow and improve it by the end of the week.”
She laughed softly, the tension in her shoulders loosening for the first time since she’d said the wordsell.“That actually sounds amazing.”
“There’s more,” he added, watching her carefully.“They’re based near the COBRA Securities compound.”
Her heart skipped.“Near where you live.”
“Yeah,” he said.“I’m not sayin’ anything has to happen fast.Just,” he hesitated, vulnerability flickering across his face, “I’d like you to come see it.See if you could picture a life there.With me.”
