“He asked me to call him back.” Connor nudged my knee, his pointed stare urging me to eat. “Laney, I will feed you if I have to.”
“That might be fun.”
He snorted, his lips quirking up on one side. I wanted to lighten the mood, but the tension in his shoulders was too noticeable.
Instead of fighting him, I took a few bites. He nodded in approval before he stared at the fire.
“All my life, I was told I had to fight to be good enough. My dad raised me without real love. It was all drive and competition to be the best. Being the CEO of a startup tech company was all I knew how to be. Then I met you, and you clashed with my plans a little. I had this beautiful soul loving me and wanting to be in my life. It was a gift. You are a gift.”
My chest ached for him. The pain, the stress poured out of him. But he needed to do this. I rubbed his knee, drawing small circles on it as he took a deep breath and continued.
“My dad always liked having control over me. I used to think it was to help me succeed, but now… I don’t even understand his motivations. When he told me to let you go, it broke something in me. Then he threatened me about Dennis and my position.” Connor shook his head, his voice quieter now. “This isn’t the life I want.”
“Do you think Dennis has something on him?” I asked gently.
“I don’t know,” Connor admitted. “Or maybe it’s just the way they all play the game. Dennis told me he’d only give the COO role to his nephew. It’s all politics, and I’m tired of it. I thought this was my dream career, but… maybe it’s not. I’ve been holding on to it so tightly, I didn’t stop to ask if it was worth it.”
“You’re great at your job,” I offered carefully. “You love leading, creating, negotiating. That’s who you are.”
“I do love those things,” he said, his gaze meeting mine.“But not with all the strings attached. I’ve been so scared of losing their approval—or my position—that I forgot what really matters. Cutting ties with my dad doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. Honestly, I feel relieved. But walking away from this company? That’s harder.”
I reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. “You’re allowed to choose something new. Something better for you.”
He smiled faintly, as if seeing the possibility for the first time. “Maybe I already have.”
“What do you want, Connor? No filters, no second-guessing—what do you want? Six months from now, how do you want your life to look?”
His gaze moved from the fire to me, a soft, gentle expression on his face.
“I want you happy and looking at me like you are now. I want to see our child grow inside you, be there for every appointment, and laugh and cry with you as you waddle.”
“I will not waddle!” I teased.
“Being here has reset my priorities. Cherrywood has magic to it.” He flashed a nervous smile, his shoulders tensing. “You love it here.”
I nodded. “Can I share something with you?”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t. Honesty, forever, even if it’s hard to hear.” His voice quieted, but the intensity in his eyes stayed firm. “I want to know all of you—your thoughts, your dreams, your fears. I’ll carry them with you, no matter what.”
I took a deep breath, finding strength in his words. “I want to stay here. Full time. I’ve hinted at it before, but I need you to know—I don’t just like Cherrywood; I feel like I belonghere. It’s not just the familiarity or my parents being nearby. It’s everything. The small-town life, the friends I’ve reconnected with, the quiet moments. I’m not lonely here like I was in the city. I don’t just want this to be a retreat. I want it to be home.”
His gaze locked onto mine, unyielding and steady. “Keep going,” he said, his voice low but encouraging.
“I also don’t love the idea of you working an hour away all the time,” I confessed, softer now. “If we lived here, you’d miss so much—coming home late, leaving early. It’d be just me again. And I want more for us, especially now.”
His jaw tightened for a moment, then relaxed. “I’ve thought about this too,” he admitted, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I even talked to Alex, our finance guy, a while back to see if we could afford to keep the condo and buy a house here. Turns out, we can. I was going to surprise you with the idea.”
My eyes widened. “Two places? Really?”
“Yeah.” He leaned back, running a hand over his jaw, a mix of hope and hesitation flickering across his face. “But after everything—the hospital, the baby—it’s clearer to me now. A place in Cherrywood isn’t just a second home. It’sourhome. And if that means finding a remote job or even something here, then that’s what I’ll do. I’m not going to miss a single moment of this life with you.”
Tears stung my eyes, but they were from relief, not sadness. “You’d do that?”
He reached across the table, taking my hand in his. “Baby, I will do that. You’re my future—this life we’re building is my future. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make it ours.”
“Can you call Ryan back?” I whispered, my voice steadybut full of hope. Connor needed clarity, and I believed this call would bring it. “You deserve to know the full story. Even if that’s not what you want anymore, you need to know.”
Connor hesitated, his brow furrowed. “You think I should hear him out?”
